Dazed and Confused

I've updated my website!

I seem to update my website a lot (or maybe it just seems that way), but yesterday I got off my duff and added an excerpt for NOT THE KILLING TYPE (which will be out in a mere three weeks).  I also added a picture of one of the new characters in the series.

Meet Sarah Jane.

I won't say more -- don't want to spoil anything for you.  Let's just say that Tricia isn't as thrilled to meet this little girl as the person who gives her to Tricia.  (Can you guess who that might be? And can you guess who she's named after?)

It’s November in Stoneham, NH, and time for the Chamber of Commerce elections. The race is already heated, as the longtime Chamber president is being challenged by a former lover—Tricia’s sister Angelica. Then Stan Berry throws his hat in ring. Unfortunately, it’s not there for long when he’s found murdered. Tricia soon uncovers a ballot box full of lies and betrayals, and a Chamber full of people who had grudges against the victim.

 

 

Today only MURDER IS BINDING $2.99 for NOOK

I've been an "indie" author since 2009 when I got the rights back to my first novel MURDER ON THE MIND and published it on Amazon for Kindle.  Later, other distributors arrived (Smashwords, Nook, iTunes, Sony, etc.) and as e readers became more prevalent, indie authors had a new way to market their books.  They tried different pricing levels and found a sweet spot that worked for them.

For me, putting Murder on the Mind free (and it's still is for all e formats) finally helped the series find its audience.  I tried to convince my editor that doing the same thing would help my Booktown series.

You could hear the crickets in the background.

But that was more than a year ago.  FINALLY New York publishers are experimenting.  Just not going crazy and offering something free -- for even a day.

But for JUST TODAY, and ONLY for NOOK, Penguin has lowered the price of Murder is Binding to $2.99 down from (the outrageous price of) $7.99 for the ebook.

What can this do?  It might help the series find a whole new audience.

If you haven't already read MURDER IS BINDING this $2.99 Nook sweet spot might help you decide if you'd like to try to other books in the series.

But the price is ONLY good for today.

I hope you'll give Tricia, Angelica, Miss Marple, Ginny, Mr. Everett and all the rest of Stoneham, NH a try.  (You might like it!)

A Horse Of A Different Color

In Sentenced to Death, we're introduced to a new character:  Michele Fowler, owner of the Foxleigh Gallery, where David Black exhibits his masterpiece of metal, a beautiful welded gate titled TRIUMPH.  It was based on an Albert Paley sculpture I'd seen in the Memorial Art Gallery in Rochester some years ago.  While I've looked at Mr. Paley's website, I've never been able to find a picture of the magnificent sculpture described in the book (and if you saw it, you'd be just as impressed as me).

Here's another breathtaking pair of gates he did.

Meanwhile, Angelica is interested in some bronze horse sculptures done by an artist who also just happens to live in my hometown, Dan Malczewski, and I happen to own two of his sculptures. (He specializes in these fantastic horses and sells them in galleries in Philadelphia and Chicago, as well as here in Rochester.)  At the end of the story, Angelica buys one of the horses to give as a gift.

The little guy below is only 6 inches high, but isn't he magnificent?  He was a Christmas gift from Mr. L.

I also have his larger brother, who stands 9 inches high and is 17 inches long.  He was a birthday gift from Mr. L.  (I think you'll agree that Mr. L has wonderful taste.)

I'll be talking about other aspects of the Booktown Books (hopefully) every Wednesday for the foreseable future.  I'll hope you'll drop in.  (And let me know if you have any questions about the Booktown books--I'd be happy to answer them.)

Can you buy a Dolly Dolittle?

I recently got a letter from a reader asking about the Dolly Dolittle figurines mentioned in Sentenced to Death. (Booktown Mystery #5.) She wanted to know if they were real, and if so, where she could buy them.

Well, they're real.  They're not called Dolly Dolittle, and I have no idea where someone would buy them.

 

In the book I described them this way: Dolly Dolittle was an angel in Victorian garb. The cover shot showed a little girl in pastel blue, with a white fur collar. Her hands were thrust in a furry muff to match the collar, and the entire figurine was covered in iridescent sparkles.

As you can see, I was (sort of) describing the figurine/ornament (they have pink ribbons should one want to hang them on a Christmas tree). Here she is in a bigger size.

And here's her darling sister. 

I remember that I saw four of them, but for some reason felt I'd already blown enough money on Christmas that year, so I didn't purchase the other two.  Now I could kick myself.  They're marked MADE IN CHINA, but with no manufacturer's name.

I must confess, when I became a published author, I thought I'd get a lot of questions about my books such as this one.  Hasn't happened--but it still could.

Is there something about any of my other books you'd like to know about.  PLEASE feel free to ask.  I love to talk about my characters.  (It's a lot more interesting than talking about myself.  They lead much more exciting lives than me.  After all, I sit in front of a computer all day giving them these adventures.)

 

 

New Cover Alert! Booktown 7 - Not the Killing Type

Here's the cover for the next Booktown Mystery:  NOT THE KILLING TYPE.  It's currently available for pre-order only from Amazon, but I'm sure Barnes & Noble will list it in the not too distant future.

What do you think?

Look what the mailman brought!

Wee!  As you can see, the other day was a great mail day.  Not only did I get my sample copy of Room at the Inn, but two sample copies of Murder In Three Volumes. 

It might not look like it from this picture, but that three-volume book (Murder Is Binding, Bookmarked for Death and Bookplate Special) could A) choke a moose, and would B) make a great doorstop.  But the best use would be as a gift (Christmas is coming!).  Have a relative or a friend who doesn't yet know about cozy mysteries?  This might be a way to introduce them to the genre.  (Not that I'm being pushy or anything. No--no!  Perish the thought.) 

Even better, Amazon and Barnes & Noble are currently discounting it by 43% (it lists for $16 and is being sold for $9.09--free shipping at Amazon if you spend $25).

Room at the Inn will be available at most online retail outlets on September 10th.

Murder in Three Volumes will be available everywhere on October 2nd.

A leopard doesn't change its spots

Lately Mr. L and I have been enjoying the antics of Doc Martin.  What an odd duck.  I said, "this guy has to have Aspergers Syndrome."  Sure enough, by the second season he'd been accused of having Aspergers by someone sent to investigate him from (one assumes) The National Health.

Of course flawed characters are endlessly fascinating to me.  In fact, I'm getting known for writing believably flawed characters.  My Jeff Resnick character seems to carry the most baggage, with Tricia Miles coming in a close second, and Katie Bonner the sanest of the lot.  (Good old Katie.)

(By the way, the first Jeff Resnick book, Murder On The Mind is STILL FREE for Kindle, iTunes and Smashwords (and if you've got a Sony E Reader, Kobo, or Nook, get it from Smashwords--and of course if you don't have an e reader, you can still download it to your computer or tablet via Smashwords.  Hey, free is free, after all--and this offer won't last forever).

While watching an episode of Doc Martin, it suddenly occurred to me that I needed to wrap up a subplot that's been building in the Booktown Books.  I gave it a lot of thought over the next couple of days and yesterday I wrote the scene where Tricia learns a devastating truth about her past.  (Boy, that was fun!) 

More than one person as told me that Tricia is a doormat and they are annoyed by the way she puts up with Angelica.  I posed these questions to the latest person who said that:  Have you got an older sibling?  Have they changed that much since childhood?  If they annoyed you then, do they annoy you now?  Have you ever had the upper hand?  Do you just abandon your sibling and walk away? 

Do you hear the sound of crickets in the background?

Is the situation between Doc Martin and Tricia the same?  Not in the least, but his situation got me thinking about her situation (and the fact that it needs resolution). Will this big revelation change the relationship between Tricia and Angelica?  Probably not.  As their grandmother was famous for saying, "a leopard doesn't change its spots."  You are what you are.  Angelica is always going to be the bossy older sister, and Tricia will put up with her for one reason and one reason only:  she loves her.  And when you love someone, you love them--warts and all.

We're only halfway through the episodes.  I can't wait to see what other adventures await crabby old Doc Martin and the people in Port Ween.  And, as I write the 8th Booktown Mystery, I can't wait to see what else befalls Tricia and Angelica.  It's gonna be a bumpy, but fun ride.

P.S.  Don't forget -- the latest Booktown Mystery is now out.  Murder On The Half Shelf.

New in the office

A couple of weeks ago, I bought a new-to-me desk off of Craigslist.  For the past few years, I'd been working off a farm table and it was ovbious to me that it wasn't working well.  I had nowhere to store my stuff.  So everything was piling up on the table, giving me nowhere to put my work.  So, the desk hunt began.

I was very impressed with my pal Ellery Adams' workspace, which I saw back in March.  She works in a huge living room that's tastefully decorated with antiques and a lovely old desk with lots of drawers.  Aha!  The secret to a tidy desk had to be drawers where you could stuff everything.  (And, no I did NOT peek in her drawers -- that would be rude!)

So I went on the hunt. I scoured antique stores, yard sales, and finally hit gold on Craigslist.  Is my desk as nice as Ellery's?  No. Is it what I really wanted?  No. It was less money than I anticipated spending (always good) and it had been recently refinished, so it still has an odor of polyurethane, but for the time being, it's working out quite well.  I've kept the top of it cleared off,and I still have two drawers that aren't yet filled.  SUCCESS!

So, what do you think?

And in case you forgot, Ellery and I have new books out.  Get them while they're hot!

Murder on the Half Shelf & Pies and Prejudice.

What Goes On Behind The Scenes

It's no secret that some of my readers are very unhappy that Murder on The Half Shelf was not published as a mass market paperback.  I say it's no secret because I posted it up on Facebook.  (You can't get much more public than that.)  And, my very good friend Julie Hyzy wrote a blog called "What Readers May Not Know About Book Publishing," which is very thoughtful.  (Bet you didn't now how little control authors actually have over their work when they sign that coveted publisher contract.)

I'm not badmouthing my publisher.  Far from it.  They delivered a beautiful hardcover, they hired a fantastic cover artist (who has done all my Booktown mysteries--and right now is in the process of creating another wonderful painting for Booktown #7 "The Chamber Plot"), and they have treated me very well indeed.  I have a marvelous editor, and the staff at Berkley Prime Crime has worked very hard on my behalf.

So what's the point of this blog post?  As if the whole hardcover vs. paperback debate wasn't enough, and as two of my readers have already asked and discovered ... there will be no audio edition of Murder On The Half Shelf.  Why?  Not enough people downloaded the audio versions of the previous five books.

Am I heartbroken by this turn of events?  No, but I am quite disappointed.  Can I blame my publisher?  No way.  I'm  extremely grateful that they took a chance and made the first five books available as audiobooks.  I do wish they'd made the books available on CD, too, because I know a LOT of people don't have an MP3 player.  Hey, until Christmas, neither did I.  I still prefer to listen to audiobooks via CD ... but then, that might be because I haven't tried it on my MP3 player.  (I think I'd have to get a second one.  Mine's all clogged up with music.)

I was soooo looking forward to hearing what the narrator (Cassandra Campbell) would have done with one of my newest characters, Pixie.  In fact, when I was writing her part of the story, I had Ms. Campbell's voice in my head as Pixie delivered her lines. 

Do I think audiobooks were expensive?  Yes.  If publishers priced them cheaper, the audio market would explode and authors and the publishers alike would make scads of money and our audio listeners would be ecstatic.  (J.A. Konrath agrees, and recently wrote a blog on the same subject.)

Will my publisher ever put the rest of the books on audio?  My guess is no.  Not ever.  Don't even think about it.  That is ... unless there's a huge spike in sales of the first five books.

Well, a girl can dream, can't she?

The best summer beach reads

The first tuesday of the month means: NEW BOOK RELEASES, and this month I'm starting out with (drum roll) MY OWN!  Murder On The Half Shelf.

Stoneham, NH, is a haven to bookstores, including Haven’t Got a Clue, but is sadly lacking in bed and breakfasts. Pippa and Jon Comfort’s Sheer Comfort Inn opens its doors in a week and the couple has offered some locals a free night as a trial run. What should have been a pleasant overnight stay for Tricia Miles becomes a nightmare when she makes two startling discoveries: Pippa’s murdered body in the backyard, and that Pippa’s husband Jon is actually Harry Tyler, a man Tricia loved—and believed dead—for nearly twenty years. Now Harry is the prime suspect, but Tricia doesn’t believe him capable of murder. Even though Harry’s led a life of lies, Tricia’s learning that Pippa had her share of secrets that some people may have not wanted revealed…

Available from:

Barnes & Noble ~ Amazon ~ Kindle ~ Nook
Books A Million ~ Indie Bookstores ~ Indigo/Chapters ~ The Book Depository

PIES AND PREJUDICE by Ellery Adams:  When the going gets tough, Ella Mae LaFaye bakes pies. So when she catches her husband cheating in New York, she heads back home to Havenwood, Georgia, where she can drown her sorrows in fresh fruit filling and flakey crust. But her pies aren't just delicious. They're having magical effects on the people who eat them--and the public is hungry for more.

Discovering her hidden talent for enchantment, Ella Mae makes her own wish come true by opening the Charmed Pie Shoppe. But with her old nemesis Loralyn Gaynor making trouble, and her old crush Hugh Dylan making nice, she has more than pie on her plate. and when Loralyn's fiancé is found dead--killed with Ella Mae's rolling pin--it'll take all her sweet magic to clear her name.

Available from:

Barnes & Noble ~ Amazon ~ Kindle ~ Nook
Books A Million ~ Indie Bookstores ~ Indigo/Chapters ~ The Book Depository

 

PLOTTING AT THE PTA by Laura Alden:  Bookstore owner, PTA secretary, and single mom Beth Kennedy has to fit a murder investigation or two into her schedule in Alden’s enjoyable if padded third PTA mystery (after 2011’s Foul Play at the PTA). When Beth discovers that a favored customer at her Rynwood, Wis., bookstore, Amy Jacobson, has died from shock after multiple bee stings, she believes Amy’s death was not the freak accident the police claim. Meanwhile, Beth promises an elderly friend to look into the death of her great-niece, Kelly, more than 20 years earlier, an apparent suicide by drowning. When Beth realizes that Kelly and Amy were close friends, she risks her own life to prove that neither the drowning nor the anaphylactic shock was anything short of cold-blooded murder. Digressions involving supporting characters mean the school year is almost over before amateur sleuth Beth is able to connect all the dots.

Available from:

Barnes & Noble ~ Amazon ~ Kindle ~ Nook
Books A Million ~ Indie Bookstores ~ Indigo/Chapters ~ The Book Depository

 

RED VELVET REVENGE by Jenn McKinlay:  It may be summertime, but sales at Fairy Tale Cupcakes are below zero--and owners Melanie Cooper and Angie DeLaura are willing to try anything to heat things up. So when local legend Slim Hazard offers them the chance to sell cupcakes at the annual Juniper Pass rodeo, they're determined to rope in a pretty payday!  But not everyone at the Juniper Pass is as sweet for Fairy Tale Cupcakes as Slim--including star bull-rider Ty Stokes. Mel and Angie try to steer clear of the cowboy's short fuse, but when his dead body is found face down in the hay, it's a whole different rodeo.  With a vengeful murderer on the loose, the ladies are quickly realizing that while they came to save their business, they may have to save themselves--and that's no bull.

Available from:

Barnes & Noble ~ Amazon ~ Kindle ~ Nook
Books A Million ~ Indie Bookstores ~ Indigo/Chapters ~ The Book Depository

 

All in the name of good clean fun . . .

No sooner have I turned in one book (yesterday), when it's time to start the next.

Right now, I only know what several of the subplots will be. (That's because I'm writing an arc for the characters that won't be finalized until at least book #9.)

Still, I need to turn in a synopsis this week.  YIKES!

As of now I don't know who is killed, with what, or why.  Some day that will all be clear, but in the meantime . . .

Over the summer I purchased an old telephone similar to the one I describe in the Booktown Mysteries.  You may remember that I blogged about it back in August. (And you can read about it here.)

 
A couple of weeks ago, I went to a big community sale and found the following solid brass letter openers.  I knew I had to have them, and I knew one of them would eventually find its way into one of my books (and one of my characters).  

Now the problem is ... which one do I use for this next book?

Anybody got any strong feelings one way or another?

It's Here--Recipes To Die For

Okay, when I said I was shooting for October 1st, I had no idea things would come together so fast for my Victoria Square cookbook, Recipes to Die For.

Well, not exactly.  Amazon uploaded the book in less than six hours, which has to be a record.  Smashwords is always fast, but then you wait for a long time to see if you make it to the Premium Catalog (which means they distribute it to places like Sony, Kobo, Diesel and Apple.  Still waiting on that.)  As I write this, I'm still waiting for Barnes & Noble to upload it for Nook.  The last time I uploaded to them, it took three weeks.  I nagged and nagged, but they weren't going to put that story up until they were good and ready, I guess.

The print version could be ready as soon as next week.

I decided to do a print version because so many of my readers have said they don't have e readers and don't plan on getting them, either.  The only problem is, the price tag is higher than I would have liked.  And I decided NOT to make the book available to libraries and other bookstores simply because I would lose 23 cents for every book sold.  I just can't afford to do that.  So, the price tag is $5.99, which still seems high to me, but it was the cheapest I could make it and not lose money. 

So, if you'd like to purchase the book right now, it's available on Kindle and (for all e formats) Smashwords.

I hope you'll like getting to know not only Katie Bonner better, but her vendors and friends on Victoria Square.  And ... maybe try a recipe or two while you're at it.

Thank you!

Black Beauty

Last week at the garage sales, I found what's been on my treasure-hunt list for years:  an old black phone.

Years ago, my Dad bought one secondhand. We always said it could be used as a murder weapon.  So, when I started writing the Booktown Mysteries back in 2006, I decided that Tricia should have a classic phone on the cash desk of her mystery bookstore, Haven't Got a Clue.  (Hmmm ... maybe it'll be a murder weapon some day.  )

Anyway, I've seen retro phones for sale on Amazon for about a hundred bucks, but I wanted a REAL one, and I didn't want to pay $80-$300.  (I saw a refurbished phone similar to mine online for $299 plus shipping.  It's a Kellogg 1000 series phone.  If you're really interested, you can read about it here.)

When I staggered to the car under the weight of a big box AND this phone, Mr. L's lip curled.  "What is THAT?"

"It's Tricia's phone.  I have to have it."

"It's DIRTY and DISGUSTING."

"It's Tricia's phone.  I'll clean it up."

Only it sat in my minivan for a week before I plucked up the courage to touch it again.  It really was disgusting.  It must have been stored in a barn or a garage for a L-O-N-G time. (Note the ex-spider home on the receiver.

 Here's a front view:

The first thing I did was wet a paper towel to get the majority of the crud off of it.  Again.  DISGUSTING!  Then I tinkered with the dial.  I took off the part with the finger holes and figured I'd just move it.  Oh no.  There's a whole brass thingy with lots of cogs and stuff that was jammed.  So I messed with it with a screwdriver (and I'm sure my Dad, the tinkerer, was standing over my shoulder the whole time), got it unstuck, and then squirted it liberally with WD-40.  Voila!  It started moving again.  I put the thing back together and started on the receiver.

Ugh!  Even more disgusting!  I removed a outer ring and the mouthpiece cover and found it filled with yucky yellow stuff. I  don't know what it was, but it went into the trash PDQ.  Did the same to the earpiece, but that wasn't as bad.  Then I dug out the Murphy's Oilsoap and gave it a thorough going-over.  And . . . don't you think Tricia would be proud to have this phone on her cash desk?

Mr. L said, "You're not really going to use that, are you?"

Truthfully, I don't know.  I would need to go to Radio Shack to see if I can get some kind of adapter, but if I can get the old girl working, I'd like to install her in my office.

It's not the same phone as we had when I was a kid--that had a more Art Deco handle--but for now, I'm pretty happy with old Black Beauty.  And by the way, I paid $5 for it.

Don't you just love a bargain?

Woot!

Well, there was certainly a lot to celebrate yesterday. 

First I got an email from my editor saying that according to Bookscan, Sentenced to Death was the #1 bestselling mystery mass market paperback for the week (that would be last week).  Weeee!  

I must admit, it was hard to focus on my work (I'm writing the third Victoria Square mystery) after that.  But I made my minimum word count, which was worth celebrating in itself.

Of course, what I was REALLY waiting for was the phone to ring.  And it did.  And it WAS my editor.  And (drum roll) Sentenced To Death was #17 on the New York Times bestsellers list for mass market paperbacks.

Woo-hoo!

That's two steps up from Chapter & Hearse.

Ahhh, seventeen.  My new favorite number.

Of course, while I'm celebrating for Tricia, I'm also hoping that with this book getting so much attention, my other characters/books (under other names) just might get some attention, too.  We're talking Katie in A Crafty Killing (Victoria Square #1) and all the Jeff Resnick books and short stories.  (Hey, they're like my kids.  I love them and want them all to do well.)

As it happens, the next Booktown Mystery (Murder on The Half Shelf) is already written.  (As is the 2nd Victoria Square Mystery.)  When I finish this current book (in September), I'll jump right back into Tricia's world.  And boy have I got a lot planned for the denizens of the little village of Stoneham, New Hampshire.  (Mwa-ha-ha!) 

In the meantime . . . if you've never read the Booktown Mysteries, I hope you'll give them a try.  They start with Murder is Binding.

Okay, back to work!

It's just like a big, messy puzzle

I've been working on the new Booktown book for about 8 weeks now, and feeling like I was making pretty good (but not great) progress. I'd written all the main scenes of the main plot.  Unfortunately, I hadn't written them in order.  I had a vague idea of where the story was going (although I think I have six suspects and no clue whodunit).

Last week I had a hard time getting to work on it--part of that had to due with contract negotiations for the next three books.  I was so bamboozled by the net outcome that I was too frazzled to write.  That's not good because the whole idea is that I'm going to be writing MORE not less.

Monday I figured out why I was stalled:  Duh--I had run out of main story!  Time to work on all the connections for those main plot scenes.  But first, I had to put them in order.  That sounds easy, but when your document is one long string of unconnected scenes . . . talk about messy.

I sat down with my time line and my list of scenes and starting figuring out which scene went on what day.  Of course, I thought the story started on Monday but then realized that too much was happening too fast and had to move the start back to Sunday, which means I have to get Angelica to change clothes in the first scene.  (Oy!  As it is the woman doesn't travel light.  Uh, just like ... her creator.)

Next up, putting the scenes in order on the manuscript.  That meant printing them all out and trying to put them into chapters.  I usually have between 24-26 chapters in a book.  Separating these scenes gave me 13 chapters.  Then, as I was putting the chapters in my notebook, I realized I had one of my big scenes in the wrong spot.  Okay, move it back and renumber the next 20 pages.

Now that I can see the flow of the main story, I can (and did) start writing the connecting scenes.  Whoo-hoo!  For the 2nd day this month, I actually got my daily word quota.  (I was doing pretty good and making at least half or three-quarters up until last week.)

Of course, the big, black hole of Thanksgiving and having a house guest looms before me.  (Did I mention I have galley proofs that are due this month, too?)  I write in the dining room.  My guest will be stationed in the adjacent living room for most of my working day.  Not that she'll make a peep, it's just knowing somebody is there will mean I ain't gonna get any writing done.  (Good time to work on the galley proofs, huh?)

I've got three craft shows coming up.  I've got decorating the house for Christmas coming up.  Christmas shopping.  Christmas baking.  I've GOT to work in all my annual Christmas movie watching, too.  (Hey, I've seen White Christmas at least 43 times--I've GOT to see it for the 44th time or it won't be Christmas.)

I've said it before and I'll say it again:  I need at least another four hours in my day.  EVERY day.

I don't want to cut out any of the "fun" stuff for Christmas, and yet I need to get my work done, too.

How about you?

 (How did I get so much accomplished when I had a day job, too?)