First Draft Written by and for the Guppies, a Chapter of Sisters in Crime

July 1, 2018 Vol. 22, No. 4 First Draft Written by and for the Guppies, a chapter of Sisters in Crime www.sinc-guppies.org

Inside this issue: The President’s Message by Debra H. Goldstein hen I was nine years old, my mother Personally, this year has been wild. Not only did Editor’s Note 2 W would make me leave my library book you elect me president of the Guppies, but I got Upcoming Classes 3 indoors and go outside and play for two hours. an agent, a three-book deal from Kensington, Unless I was playing baseball with the neighbor- and “The Night They Burned Ms. Dixie’s Place,” hood kids or riding my bike the lim- my first short story ever submitted to Boas and Kick Lines 5 ited distance I was permitted to go, Alfred Hitchcock Mystery Magazine, the passing of those hours seemed was accepted and now has been Agent Insight 7 interminable. Now, I blink and a nominated for Anthony and Agatha year is gone. awards (and I know I have Guppies Eschew Obfuscation 10 to thank for reading the story and What a year this has been for Gup- writing it in on their nomination bal- Marketing 12 pies and for me—and I firmly be- lots). Much as I have happy danced lieve they are interlinked. Not only for myself, I’ve had the pleasure of Producing Audiobooks 14 has our chapter’s membership dancing for many of you. passed the 700-person mark, the Guppy MS swaps 15 majority proved its engagement by In a process coordinated by Steering making the transition from Yahoo to Groups.io. Committee member Anna Castle, 22 Guppies Ipso Facto 16 As of today, 629 are members of the main had their stories accepted for publication in our listserv and almost another 40 have chosen to biannual anthology. For many, it will be their Author Interview: 19 limit their mail to special notices. Our success in first time in print. Guppies won or were nominat- Sasscer Hill making this change is attributable to the hard ed for numerous writing awards, including Gigi work of our master web guppy, Cori Lynn Ar- Pandian, Barb Goffman, Art Taylor, Kellye Gar- The Flip Side 22 nold, members of the Steering Committee, and rett, Valerie Burns, Marilyn Levinson, Ellen By- everyone who volunteered to be Guppy pilot ron, Cynthia Kuhn, Susan Bickford, Cindy Sam- Forensics 23 fish, but it also validates that the Guppy chapter ple, Edith Maxwell, Annette Dashofy, and the provides a community and services members list goes on. Best of all, many Guppies took the Kensington Publishing 24 find valuable. first step of putting words on paper and beginning a work in progress. Our community is made up of people who range Kensington’s Lynn Cahoon 27 from best-selling authors to individuals dream- One of the greatest joys for me has been working about putting words on paper. I haven’t ing with a fantastic Steering Committee and Maine Crime Wave 28 made the best-seller list yet, but six years ago I volunteers. My thanks to Karen Duxbury, had a day job, my first book had been published Lourdes Venard, Cori Lynn Arnold, Anna Cas- Guppies Around the Pond 29 and orphaned within seven months by a small tle, Carolyn Rowland, Jane Gorman, Elaine house, and I was pursuing my passion for writ- Douts, Susan Van Kirk, Paula Gail Benson, and Guppy Elections 30 ing between midnight and 4 a.m. I joined Gup- Jim Jackson. I’m sorry to see Paula rolling off pies and devoured the comments on the the Steering Committee, but I am thrilled Micki Writing Life 31 listserv, the critiques I received from short story Browning will be joining us. I’m looking forward and novel critique groups, the suggestions to the rush of another year. made to me through the Agent Quest subgroup, Planning a Book Fair 32 and what I learned from every craft class I took. I also developed true friendships via the internet Calendar 33 and by meeting these people at conferences. First Draft Page 2

Editor’s Note New Members

irst Draft has always re- to write the Agent Insight column, Lis Angus F ported about the larger focusing on secondary charac- Kathy Arnett conferences and Guppies’ ters—an important part of myster- Deborah Bailey involvement in those events. ies. In Ipso Facto, Keenan Powell Amy Baker But there are many other discusses the Netflix documen- Tammy Barker regional events, not to mentary The Staircase, a fascinating Anne Brewer tion those events that you look at Michael Peterson, who Grace Brooks attend or coordinate on your was accused of killing his wife. Julia Cole own: Book signings, library Christine David In this issue’s author interview, I talks, small book fairs, book Debbie de Louise spoke to one of our own, Sasscer clubs at which your novel is Jennifer Egan Hill, whose career provides an interesting the main event, etc. So we’re starting a new Leila Emadin glimpse into the writer’s life. And if you haven’t feature: Guppies Around the Pond. It’ll be pho- Loraine Fowlow read one of her books, make sure to remedy tos only, with captions, that take a look at what Holly Franko that! Sasscer writes wonderful thrillers that re- Guppies are doing around the world (see pag- Gail Gardner volve around horse racing. es 29-30). Send me your photos! Jim Halley Brides in the Bath, the forensics column by Eileen Hirst This issue, Eva Holmes writes about one of Bradley Harper, introduces us to Dr. Spilsbury, Alice Horton those smaller regional conferences, Maine one of the earliest full-time forensic Amanda Griffith Crime Wave, which is attended by many Gup- pathologists in the world—and shows how he Susan Kirkvold pies. And Debbie De Louise shows us how she helped solve a puzzling crime. Our marketing Jane Limprecht came up with her own mini-author event, which column, by Amy Rivers, details print advertis- Meg Long she pitched to her church. It’s out-of-the-book ing. There may come a time when you want to Shondra C. Longino thinking that presented her with another way to advertise in newspapers or magazines; there’s Diana Manley reach readers. a lot to know about ad sizes and placement. Magnolia Martin Our continuing column on independent publish- Faye Roberts writes about quotation marks— Mary Ann Miller ers looks at one of the largest in the mystery an often confusing area for writers. It’s interest- Joelle Neff publishing world: Kensington, which is family- ing to note that US and UK writers follow differ- Christy Parker owned. Kensington plans to publish about 140 ent styles when it comes to using quotation Olive Pollak cozy mysteries a year, so they are no small marks! Annette Poole publisher. Eona Calli tells you why you may Kathy Sechrist Do you sometimes have a great idea for the want to take a look at them. She also profiles Tricia Spayer beginning and ending of your novel, but get bestselling author Lynn Cahoon, who publishes Jen Story stuck in the middle? Kia Johnson Dennis talks three series with Kensington. Johanna Uribes about navigating that mushy middle. And, last Diane Vickers Judy Penz Sheluk returns with the second part but not least, Nancy Eady brings a bit humor Carolyn Watkins of a series on producing audiobooks. This time about the unwritten writing rules Ranae Watts she interviews four audiobook narrators on how Joyce Woollcott Hope you enjoy this issue! they select a job and how they work with royalty share agreements. Lourdes Nancy Eady reached out to six literary agents

Steering Committee First Draft Staff Editor: Lourdes Venard President Debra H. Goldstein [email protected] Columnists: Eona Calli, Nancy Eady, Bradley Treasurer Karen Duxbury [email protected] Harper, Eva Holmes, Carol Newhouse, Newsletter Editor Lourdes Venard [email protected] Keenan Powell, Faye Roberts, Elaine Will Website Liaison Cori Lynn Arnold [email protected] Sparber Member-at-Large Paula Gail Benson [email protected] Proofreaders: Sharon Owen, Rosalind Villers Member-at-Large (Classes) Elaine Douts [email protected] Contributors: Amy Rivers, Beth Schmelzer, Member-at-Large Anna Castle [email protected] Judy Penz Sheluk, Susan Van Kirk Member-at-Large (Manuscript swaps) Jane Gorman [email protected] ©2018. First Draft is a bimonthly newsletter of the Member-at-Large Carolyn Rowland [email protected] Guppy chapter of Sisters in Crime. The editor Member-at-large (Membership) Susan Van Kirk [email protected] reserves the right to edit articles for clarity and space. Immediate Past President James M. Jackson [email protected] First Draft Page 3

Upcoming Guppy Classes by Elaine Douts

fter each class ends, I create questions asking students Guppy Classes FAQ A about the course, using Survey Monkey, and distribute the link to the class. The questions aren’t canned. Every class is dif-  For information on how classes work and our policies, ferent, so the questions must be different, with the exception of please go to https://sincguppies.wildapricot.org/Classes- FAQ the last question: What classes would you like in our curriculum that aren’t now offered?  To register for classes and see the rest of our 2018 cur- A few months ago, two members replied to this question by ask- riculum: https://sincguppies.wildapricot.org/events ing for classes that I was able to find (which isn’t always the case,  To apply for a Guppy class scholarship, please email i.e., male POV without the romance model—still looking!). One Karen Duxbury, our treasurer, at moneyguppy@sinc- class, Profiling, happened to be a specialty of forensic psycholo- guppies.org. gist Katherine Ramsland, who teaches graduate courses in this subject. If our member hadn’t asked for such a class, I probably would have never known Katherine could and would teach it. Look the reader to wade through. This course is designed to keep you for this class, scheduled for the end of October 2018. out of both rifts and help you steer your passage safely to a well- The second member asked for a course in police procedure from designed, well-researched, and well-written book. It will cover: beginning to end of a murder investigation. My first thought was to contact instructors of the Writers’ Police Academy, but then I  what you need to research and what you don’t asked Micki Browning, a Guppy and a former sheriff. She could  how to keep your research needs from slowing and stopping have taught the class if she wanted to give up her Guppy mem- your forward progress on your book bership, which she did not, but she recommended another instructor, Gini England, who taught at a Colorado police academy. Gini  how to find live sources and interview them is going to team with another police officer to create Guppy Mur- der Investigation Police Procedures (perhaps we’ll make up an  how to find information in books/libraries/digital resources acronym for it—MIPP). I hope to review the outline by the end of  how to organize your research so you can find what you need this summer as it develops. Look for the course in February 2019. when you need it Taking the time to complete our Guppy course surveys can fulfill your class wish list, give valuable feedback to instructors (and I do  how to keep your research from overpowering your book’s tell them the good and the bad), and determine which instructors story and people we ask to return to teach. The next time you take a class, please  how to research other cultures for your background fill out the class survey. Research for Writers  how to research other cultures for a character (which requires with Linda Rodriguez different and deeper research) July 29—August 11 Linda Rodriguez’s third novel in the Skeet Bannion series, Student Cost: $50 Every Hidden Fear, was published by St. Martin’s Press/Minotaur Historical novels are not the only Books in May 2014 and was featured by Las Comadres National ones that need research. Most Latino Book Club. Every Hidden Fear also received a 2014 novels will need some background ArtsKC Fund Inspiration Award. research, and some will need a Her first Skeet novel, Every Last Secret, won the Malice Domestic great deal of research into an in- Best First Traditional Mystery Novel Competition and International dustry or organization or country or Latino Book Award Honorable Mention, was featured by Las Co- culture. Even a novel set in con- madres National Book Club, and was a Barnes & Noble mystery temporary times in a place you know or have visited will need pick. some spot research. Where are the one-way streets in downtown Kansas City? What would have been on the news in December of Find her on Twitter as @rodriguez_linda, on Facebook at https:// 2013? www.facebook.com/LindaRodriguezWrites, and on blogs with The Stiletto Gang http: http://thestilettogang.blogspot.com/, Writers Research is not something to intimidate you, nor is it something to Who Kill http://writerswhokill.blogspot.com/, and her own blog wallow in. The two problems with research for the novelist are http://lindarodriguezwrites.blogspot.com. writing books with not nearly enough research to make the characters and background credible or absolutely way too much for Continued on next page First Draft Page 4

Upcoming Classes, continued

Plot Thickeners with Simon Wood Student Assignment: Students will label the scenes by POV August 12—September 1 character, main plot, and subplot. Student Cost: $40 Lesson #4: Arranging The Pieces: Now that all the scenes have Plotting shouldn’t be viewed as a been identified, it’s time to build a solid outline. This is where passion killer that destroys any Simon’s “Famous Plotting Spreadsheet” is introduced. Students chance of spontaneity and creativi- will also learn the importance of pacing and writing to a word ty. Plotting is a very creative pro- count. cess. You’re creating the whole story Student Assignment: Students will use Simon’s spreadsheet in short form, providing a skeleton to construct their outlining guide. framework that will have the flesh put on during the writing. What can be Lesson #5 Maintaining Consistency of Character and Voice: more motivating than when you have The use of character/style sheets can help keep a handle on char- a complete outline for your novel to acters. guide you from “once upon a time…” to “…and they lived happily Student Assignment: Students will produce their own charac- ever after”? And what can be more demotivating than coming to a ter profiles for the major characters in their book. grinding halt on a manuscript 30,000 words shy of your target with nothing left to say? Lesson #6: Outline Review: By now, students should have a simple yet effective outline of their novel. It’s time to review and There’s a lot to be said for plotting and why it is a great help to the revise. writing process. With this workshop, students will develop the skills for producing well thought-out plotlines and use Simon’s Student Assignment: Students will share their outlines with outlining style sheet for creating simple “at a glance” outlines. their classmates. This is also an opportunity to develop and modi- fy Simon’s spreadsheet. Topics covered during the class: Simon Wood is an award-winning mystery and thriller author with the importance of plotting and outlining  more than a dozen books to his credit. In addition, he’s been a  breaking a story down into its component parts frequent contributor to Writer’s Digest. Learn more at www.simonwood.net  the use of outlining for pace The Author’s Arsenal: Writing, Weapons, and Wounds  creating character files with Geoff Symon September 2—15  using Simon’s “Famous Plotting Spreadsheet” for building an Student Cost: $40 outline Hurting your characters shouldn’t Lesson #1: The Importance of Plotting and Outlining: Plotting be a pain. This course covers differ- and outlining are useful for pacing, consistency, smooth transi- ent weapons and the wounds they tions, avoiding false starts and continuity—just to name a few rea- inflict. We’ll discuss blunts, sharps, sons. Mystery writing needs structure for a successful novel and and projectiles, and walk through outlining is a great exercise, even if the outline is never looked at the injuries and risks possible with again. Just going through the process helps marshal a writer’s each. We’ll consider their impact on thoughts. your scenes and plot so you can make certain they do the right kind Student Assignment: Students will be asked to study a TV of damage. crime show and break down its tightly crafted structure. Students will also be asked to identify their plotting shortfalls in their current Geoff Symon is a 20-year federal work-in-progress. forensic investigator and polygraph examiner. His participation in high-profile cases includes the attacks on September 11, 2001, Lesson #2: Breaking The Story Down: A novel is a daunting the war in Iraq, the Space Shuttle Columbia explosion, the 2002 endeavor but it doesn’t have to be that way. The key to staying on bombings in Bali, and the Chandra Levy investigation, among top of a novel is breaking it down into manageable pieces. countless other cases. He has direct, firsthand experience investi- Student Assignment: Students will list all the scenes taking gating cases, including murder, suicide, arson, kidnapping, bomb- place in their books. ings, sexual assault, child exploitation, theft, and financial crimes. He also has specified and certified training in the collection and Lesson #3: Identifying The Pieces: Students have dissected preservation of evidence, blood-spatter analysis, autopsies, and their story into individual scenes. Now it’s time to identify them. laboratory techniques. First Draft Page 5

Boas and Kick Lines by Elaine Will Sparber Releases and Contracts “Boas and Kick Lines” is a regular column in First Draft. To In April, the first of Bill Ade’s Nic Knuckles—Futilitarian Private submit a piece of good news, send it off-list to Elaine Will Eye short stories, “Mary Maria,” appeared on the website Liter- Sparber at [email protected]. The deadline for ally Stories. Later this summer, his caper “Healing Heels” will items is the 15th of the month before publication. be published in Black Fox Literary Magazine. Dawn M. Barclay signed two contracts this spring. The first Business, the fifth Guppy Chapter anthology, to be published by was for Slashing Mona Lisa, a romantic mystery in which Cam- Wildside Press in 2019. arin Torres, a rookie Chamorro reporter, uncovers a plot “The Red-Herring League,” a short story by Bradley Harper, will be against the $60 billion diet industry that might or might not be published in the July edition of Sherlock Holmes Mystery Maga- masterminded by her publisher/new love interest. The novel, zine. In the story, Professor Moriarty relates his first encounter with written as D.M. Barr, will be published digitally by Beachwalk Holmes, in the affair of the Red-Headed League. You didn’t know Press on July 16. The second contract was for an enhanced Moriarty was involved? Neither did Holmes! version of Communication Skills, an award-winning romance novella in which a competitive female Scrabble player with sub- “Murder on Command,” a mystery short story by Linda Leszczuk missive urges finds her match in a billionaire dominant chal- writing as LD Masterson, was published in the June 4 issue of lenger in a series of romantic encounters best described as Kings River Life Magazine. It was LD’s first submission to KRL. Her Scrabblerotica. Written as Minxie Wells, Communication Skills short story “Drop Goes the Weasel,” also written as LD Masterson, will be published as a novel by Beachwalk Press in September. will be included in the anthology Shhhh . . . Murder! The collection of mysteries involving libraries or librarians will be published in Au- In June, Vicki Batman published Just Desserts . . . and Other gust by Darkhouse Books. Stories, an anthology of 11 very short “cute meet” stories. Love blossoms in the small town of Sommerville in these clean and The hardcover, e-book, and audiobook versions of Read and wholesome, heartwarming tales. Gone, the second book in the Haunted Library mystery series by Marilyn Levinson writing as Allison Brook, will be published Travellin’ Shoes, the first book in the RJ Franklin Mystery series Sept. 11 by Crooked Lane Books. Twenty million dollars’ worth of by V.M. Burns, releases today, July 1, from Camel Press. When missing gems brings Carrie Singleton’s long-lost and larcenous dad the choir director at a local church is bludgeoned, shot, and set back into her life, and it’s up to Carrie to clear his name of murder. afire in the mayor’s neighborhood, Detective RJ Franklin is pulled in to investigate. But nothing is as it seems on this case. “Becoming,” a short story by Kath Boyd Marsh, is included in the Not even the victim is who he claimed to be. With very little anthology Perilous Princesses, published in June by CBAY Books. information to go on, RJ sets out to catch a killer. In addition, readmeastoryink.com has included “Becoming” on its list of short stories to read aloud. Mary Feliz’s Disorderly Conduct, the fourth in her Maggie McDonald Mystery series, releases July 10 from Kensington Edith Maxwell is delighted to announce that she has signed a Lyrical. Kensington has sold the rights to create audiobooks of contract with Kensington Publishing for three more Country Store the first four books in the series to Tandor. The first three books Mysteries (written as Maddie Day), which will bring the series up to are Address to Die For, Scheduled to Death, and Dead Stor- nine so far. The fifth book, Death Over Easy, releases July 31. She age. has also signed a contract with Kensington for a Christmas novella featuring the series protagonist, Robbie Jordan, and Pans ’N Pan- Kaye George’s short story “Ella and the Ball” was published cakes, Robbie’s country store restaurant in southern Indiana. The in the anthology Once Upon a Fact, a volume of futuristic fairy collection of three novellas is called Christmas Cocoa Murders and tales edited by Katherine Tomlinson and released by Wildside will release in the fall of 2019. Press in May. The proceeds from the anthology will go to or- ganizations supporting women in STEM (science, technology, Continued on next page engineering, and math). Elaine Will Sparber is a freelance writer A Pale Reflection, the fifth book in Jane Gorman’s Adam Ka- and editor from Roseville, California. Her minski mystery series, releases today, July 1, from Blue Eagle short story “Cover Story” was included in Press. Hurt by betrayal and reeling with doubts about his own Fish Nets: The Second Guppy Anthology. judgment, Detective Adam Kaminski seeks a safe harbor on a She has also co-authored a travel book pleasure cruise to Bermuda. But he’s not the only passenger and ghostwritten two health books. You using the cruise to hide from his past. can visit her website at Vinnie Hansen’s story “Miscalculation” was included in the www.elainewillsparber.com. anthology Santa Cruz Noir, published by Akashic Books in June. Her story “Room and Board” has been accepted for Fishy First Draft Page 6

Boas and Kick Lines, continued

“Kamikaze Iguanas,” a short story by Alison McMahan, will be When the timeshare salesman is found dead, with Gran’s finger- published in Scream and Scream Again, the MWA anthology for prints on the murder weapon, Laurel’s case jumps from money to middle grade readers edited by R.L. Stine and due from Harper- mayhem to murder. Collins in July. In May, a documentary, Be Natural, based on Ali- June Shaw’s A Manor of Murder, the third book in her Twin Sis- son’s nonfiction book Alice Guy Blache: The Lost Visionary of the ters Mystery series, was published in March by Kensington Lyri- Cinema, premiered at Cannes. The book was published in 2002 cal. Twin divorcees Eve Vaughn and Sunny Taylor worry when by Bloomsbury. they discover their spry mother plans to soon marry the new man Judith Mehl published her fifth mystery, The Way Out, in May. in her retirement home. Mom’s cadre of Chat ’N Nap buddies Herbal detective Lizzie Ort solves a murder and confronts the fears the new fellow may only be after her pension. Many people opioid addiction epidemic on her home territory. While wielding at the manor witness an argument between the sisters and the herbal tips on how to ease withdrawal symptoms, Lizzie helps an man’s nephew, who encourages an even earlier wedding, and author reveal the sad realities as they affect families as well as when the sisters find him dead, they become suspects. addicts. With her sister, Delia, she rallies the medical establish- Art Taylor’s short story “Sunday Morning, Saturday Night” was ment, social workers, law enforcement, and natural medicine to published in Issue #3 of Down & Out: The Magazine. His story tackle opioid addiction and recovery solutions. “English 398: Fiction Workshop—Notes from Class & A Partial Korina Moss would like to thank the Guppy Chapter for an- Draft by Brittany Wallace, Plus Feedback, Conference & More” nouncing the open call from Elm Books for cozy mystery short will be published in the July/August issue of Ellery Queen Mystery stories with a cupcake theme. Her story “Little Miss Cupcake” was Magazine. accepted for the anthology and marks her first mystery short story publication. Death by Cupcake, featuring eight stories, will be Awards and Recognitions published next spring. Barb Goffman’s “Whose Wine Is It Anyway” has been nominated Enduring Spirit: Stories, an anthology of award-winning crime, as Best Short Story for both the Anthony Award and the Macavity horror, and fantasy short stories by Patricia Flaherty Pagan, was Award. The story was included in the anthology 50 Shades of launched by Spider Road Press in May at Comicpalooza Hou- Cabernet, published last year by Koehler Books. The winners for ston. The book has earned five stars from Readers’ Favorite re- both awards will be announced at the Bouchercon convention in viewers. September. The story is on Barb’s website. Diane Pearson’s short story “The Bent Fork Café” was included Eva Holmes won the 2018 Maine Crime Wave flash fiction in the eight-story anthology Kiss or Kill Under the Northern Lights, contest with her short story “Trial by Gator.” The annual contest is published in May by Satin Romance, an imprint of Mélange Books sponsored by the Maine Writers and Publishers Association and LLC. The story, set in Minnesota, is about arson, murder, and a Maine Today Media. The story was published in May in the Port- chili cook-off. land Press Herald. Katherine Prairie’s new Alex Graham thriller, Blue Fire, is set Hunter’s Way, a novel by Linda Leszczuk writing as LD Master- for release July 26 by Stonedrift Press. An incredible discovery son, was a finalist in the Writers’ League of Texas 2018 Manu- deep in a Brazilian mine catapults geologist Alex Graham into the script Contest. Kiri Hunter is a disgraced cop tracking a killer who world of a powerful arms dealer in this second book of the series. can reach into her thoughts. Will she lose her badge, her mind, or her life? On July 31, St. Martin’s will publish the second in Shari Randall’s Lobster Shack Mystery series, Against the Claw, which once Two of Alison McMahan’s mystery short stories have been again embroils injured ballerina Allie Larkin and the crew at the nominated for the Derringer Award. “The New Score” was pub- Lazy Mermaid Lobster Shack in murder. lished in the Guppy Chapter’s fourth anthology, Fish Out of Water, released by Wildside Press in 2017, and “The Drive By” was pub- Five-time Agatha winner Hank Phillippi Ryan’s new psychologi- lished in the anthology Busted! Arresting Stories from the Beat, cal standalone, Trust Me, releases Aug. 28 from Forge Books. released by Level Best Books in 2017. Her tenth novel, it was featured at Book Expo America and was named a BookBub Biggest Summer Thriller of 2018 and a Carol Newhouse has won a $200 Education Grant from the POPSUGAR Best Summer Thriller of 2018. Writers’ Community of York Region in Newmarket, Canada, and has put the grant toward a dialogue writing course taught by Nika Dying for a Deal, the seventh book in Cindy Sample’s humorous Rylski at George Brown Community College in Toronto. romantic mystery series, was released in May. Laurel McKay Hunter is thrilled to partner with her new husband, Tom, in their “A Necessary Ingredient” by Art Taylor has been named a finalist budding detective agency, Gold Country Investigations. And Lau- in the Best Short Story category for both the Anthony Award and rel’s first case is perfect for her financial skills: extricating a friend the Macavity Award. The story was included in Coast to Coast: of her zany grandmother from a Lake Tahoe timeshare scam. Private Eyes from Sea to Shining Sea, published by Down & Out Books in 2017. First Draft Page 7

Agent Insight: Secondary Characters by Nancy Eady

o novel is complete without a well- of the main character, be the ‘familiar’ “Secondary N rounded cast of secondary charac- or the one the reader will resonate ters to support the main characters. Six characters do with (not all main characters do this). agents agreed to share their opinions on a lot of the Because the possibilities for a sec- what they look for in the secondary char- heavy lifting in ondary character are as wide as the acters inhabiting our literary universes: driving the plot main, they should not be rushed!” Helen Adams Zimmermann of the Zim- forward.” Is there any rule of thumb on how mermann Literary Agency in New York; many secondary characters should Kimberley Cameron of Kimberley Camer- —Literary agent exist in a novel? Does that change on & Associates LLC in Tiburon, Califor- Melissa Edwards if the author is writing a series? nia; Megan Carroll from Watson Little, Ltd. in the United Kingdom; Melissa Ed- The agents agree there is no rule wards from Stonesong in New York; Kathryn Green with the about the number of secondary characters. As Megan Carroll Kathryn Green Literary Agency, also in New York; and Elizabeth expresses it, “You don’t want too many characters to confuse Trupin-Pulli from JET Literary Services in Santa Fe, New Mexico. the reader and overcomplicate the plot.” What central purpose should secondary characters in a novel Helen Adams Zimmermann agrees, explaining she has “read a serve? few books that are continually introducing new characters to the point where it gets confusing and hard to keep the thread of the All agents agreed one central purpose for secondary characters is narrative.” to advance the plot of the story, but they also mentioned myriad other roles for secondary characters. According to Elizabeth Trupin-Pulli, the number of secondary characters also depends on the genre. “Too many characters Helen Adams Zimmermann highlights their importance. “Never would prove to be confusing and distracting in a mystery, for underestimate secondary characters! Without them, you’ve got instance, but in historical sagas or historical mysteries, even one boring book. It is best to pay just as much attention to their some thrillers, there often are quite a lot of characters.” character development as you do to your main protagonist. They illuminate the rest of the characters, have a voice of their own you Melissa Edwards finds identifying the purpose the secondary can explore, and add depth to your manuscript.” character plays in the story is important. “If the secondary character doesn’t have some purpose other than Woman Who “Secondary characters do a lot of the heavy lifting in driving the Speaks to Protagonist Now and the reader is supposed to keep plot forward,” agrees Melissa Edwards. They “act as relief for the track of everyone, consider trimming or consolidating. If I can’t reader, a way to take some plot pressure off the protagonist. A keep characters straight because they meld into Nameless secondary character can add humor or gravitas, strangeness or Faceless Add On, then perhaps they’re not necessary.” mystery.” She adds that secondary characters “have to engage our protagonist in their conflict and ramp up the stakes. A protago- Just as with main characters, voice is important. As Kathryn nist cannot exist in a vacuum—unless the protagonist is stuck Green explains, “Ideally each individual character has their own alone in space or on a desert island, but those are pretty specific voice and their own personality”— but not at the expense of the circumstances.” plot. She continues, “The focus on the storyline shouldn’t be diluted with too many characters.” How many characters is too “Good secondary character development draws us into the story many is a judgment call by the writer. and involves the reader emotionally,” says Kimberley Cameron. They also, as Elizabeth Trupin-Pulli states, “bring additional story Continued on next page elements by enhancing the main plot or introducing a subplot that offers readers insights into something separate from the main plot.” Nancy Eady is a writer and lawyer living in small-town central Alabama Kathryn Green observed, “Sometimes the best secondary charac- with her husband, daughter, and two ters are those who provide a contrast to the personality of the dogs. She is the author of the blog hero/heroine.” Secondary characters also can act “as a ‘second “Tales from the Mom-Side: My Adven- banana,’ shining a light on certain quirks of the central character.” tures as a Working Mom,” located at The breadth of opportunity secondary characters provide impress- www.workingmomadventures.com. es Megan Carroll. “Secondary characters serve complex purposes She is seeking an agent for her first that change from genre to genre, book to book. They could for- novel, Sleight of Hand. ward the plot, be the voice of reason, be the devil on the shoulder First Draft Page 8

Agent Insight, continued Megan Carroll makes an important art form. When secondary charac- point for those writers who focus on ters are used correctly, they can age-specific fiction. “If you’re writing bring the narrative to a higher lev- for a younger reader, there should el.” never be too many characters. They Kathryn Green explains, “It’s al- prefer to feel connected to each ways wonderful to see that the character—an older reader is far characters have their own voices, more accepting of secondary and their own personality tics or quirks, tertiary characters that may only be and their own way of relating to temporary.” the other characters. When I am Kimberley Cameron explores the reading a mystery where all the mystique of the creative process characters (central or secondary) when she adds, “Good writing chan- speak in a way that they cannot be nels through the author—I’ve had so confused with another character; many clients tell me their stories that intrigues me and is a sign that “A skillful writer uses secondary charac- start writing themselves, and many the writer has put a lot of effort into times minor or supportive characters ters to elicit particular reactions from the the story.” become much more important than reader and/or provide specific insights cru- Melissa Edwards warns, they were initially.” cial to the reader’s understanding of the “Secondary characters often can With a series, the number of second- lead character and the main plot. If a sec- fall into clichés, which is a sign the ary characters grows. Megan Carroll ondary character suddenly goes rogue, author isn’t quite ready for publica- notes that as a series grows, “a mi- there better be a very good reason or else tion. Grizzled Private Detective nor character in book one may be- I assume the writer has lost control of the Who Has Seen Things or Helpless come more important as the series Ingenue or Incompetent Police progresses.” Helen Adams Zimmer- work and therefore I lose interest.” Chief—we have all seen these mann finds it is “always refreshing to characters replayed time and time — Literary agent Elizabeth Trupin-Pulli meet a few new characters as the again.” scenario changes with each book in However, she adds, such clichés can also present opportunities. the series.” “When an author can take a cliché and flip it on its head and use a Kathryn Green has an interesting take on ways to use secondary secondary character (even in a role we’ve seen before) in a new characters in a series. For example, “if the series is about four or way, it’s a sign the author is a master at their craft.” five main characters and each one is going to get their own story The presentation of secondary characters is a chance for the au- later on, then they will have to take turns at center stage. When it thor to shine, says Kimberley Cameron. Good secondary presen- isn’t their ‘turn’ those characters will still have to be building inter- tation is a sign of good writing that “flows and keeps the interest of est from the reader.” Alternatively, “in a series it is always intri- the reader at a high level.” guing when secondary characters move to the front and the reader gets to see a different side or maybe a deepening of the char- Consistency is also important. “When I start to question a charac- acter.” ter, secondary or major, that isn’t consistent or doesn’t make sense, the author has lost me. And by consistent, I’m not saying What does the way in which an author describes and uses his the character can’t surprise me—his actions have to move the secondary characters in his mystery tell you about his skill in story forward in a way that is satisfying,” Kimberley Cameron writing? says. Helen Adams Zimmermann’s answer to this question is succinct. Elizabeth Trupin-Pulli explained the secondary character concept “The more attention paid to the secondary characters, the better by saying, “A skillful writer uses secondary characters to elicit par- the writer.” ticular reactions from the reader and/or provide specific insights Megan Carroll finds “a fully fleshed-out secondary character al- crucial to the reader’s understanding of the lead character and the ways highlights the skill of a writer. The ability to make the sec- main plot. If a secondary character suddenly goes rogue, there ondary characters as important and as solid as your main charac- better be a very good reason or else I assume the writer has lost ter whilst not taking away from the central point of the story is an control of the work and therefore I lose interest.” Continued on next page First Draft Page 9

Agent Insight, continued Is there anything you see in second- Is there anything you look for regard- ary characters that will cause you to ing secondary characters that en- reject a manuscript immediately? courages you to take a closer look at a submission? Not every agent will reject a manuscript solely because of secondary Elizabeth Trupin-Pulli looks for skillfully characters. Neither Helen Adams Zim- presented secondary characters, while mermann nor Kathryn Green remem- Kathryn Green notes a manuscript that bers doing so. has a secondary character who is unusual in some way might warrant a closer Kimberley Cameron uses secondary look. Kimberley Cameron is “always characters as a gauge of the author’s looking to be surprised! I love the thrill skill and effort. She looks for well- of reading a story that takes me in a rounded secondary characters, and direction I never contemplated taking. A encountering “characters that are flat, good writer takes you on a ride into their and don’t have much to offer in moving world and makes you forget you are the story forward," tells her “that the Megan Carroll finds “secondary reading.” author hasn’t done the work he or she characters that actually play a pivot- needs to do to develop the inner life of Helen Adams Zimmermann believes the character.” al role are really exciting” as are secondary characters should be “characters going against what I ex- “strong, but subtle” and that “they need Megan Carroll finds inauthenticity ob- to be offering something to the manu- jectionable. She doesn’t “enjoy sec- pect—gender roles flipped on their script as a whole” but without overshad- ondary characters that feel like a diver- head, the boy being the sidekick to owing the main character. sity list is being ticked off, having too a female, the women being the often seen authors make secondary comic relief, etc.” Megan Carroll finds “secondary charac- characters into minorities after the fact ters that actually play a pivotal role are without having written them as that really exciting,” as are “characters going from the get-go. Agents can tell when a man has been changed to against what I expect—gender roles flipped on their head, the boy a woman at the last minute!” being the sidekick to a female, the women being the comic relief, etc.” She also is “a sucker for those really funny comic relief roles Elizabeth Trupin-Pulli looks for character consistency. “If a sec- that often fall to the secondary characters.” ondary character suddenly, out of the blue, switches gears near the end of the novel and behaves in a wildly different way, reveal- Melissa Edwards is encouraged when a manuscript has ing him/herself to be other than what was being presented “secondary characters that are developed as much as possible, throughout the book and without any sort of hint of such change in but still retain some mystery.” She also notes that “a lot of big behavior, that will definitely make me reject a manuscript or at mystery writers have done series based on secondary characters least point the problem out to the writer and suggest a revision so from their original series because readers became hooked on the change in behavior achieves the purpose in a way that pro- knowing more about those characters. Look at the Virgil Flowers vides a satisfactory reading experience.” series by John Sandford or the Joe Pike series by Robert Crais— these series took a beloved and mysterious secondary character While Melissa Edwards gives every manuscript she requests “a and brought him to the forefront because there was a fascinating chance to shine,” she is not a “huge fan” of sexual violence on character the readers wanted more from. If these characters female characters when given as a “reason for a woman’s re- weren’t round and developed in their original books, they wouldn’t newed strength or a man’s vengeance.” Also, blatant intolerance have captured our imaginations. We wouldn’t have cared about such as “casual racism or bigotry” from secondary characters that them at all.” fails to serve a plot point will cause her to pass on a manuscript.

Do you have any burning questions for literary agents? Let us know. Send you question to Lourdes Venard at [email protected]. First Draft Page 10

Eschew Obfuscation: Quotation Marks by Faye Roberts t’s easy to get confused ciplinary action against those I about quotation marks. who violate its rules.” Their most common purpose Spoken dialogue is to indicate the beginning and ending of someone’s ex- Punctuating conversation or act words or of a text selection dialogue (aka direct dis- that is cited. Quotation marks course) can be particularly are especially important in challenging. Here are a few dialogue and may even be tips. needed in a few other situa- Indirect quotations don’t re- tions. quire quotation marks, as in When we’re not familiar with this example: the rules for quotation marks, According to my brother, the we tend to go with whatever greatest soccer player of all looks right; this can lead us time was Pele. astray. Simply trying to apply logic to the situation often isn’t In contrast, quotation marks enough because the rules can are needed to indicate a direct be tricky. Here’s a brief guide Photo by India Amos / flickr quotation: to dealing with common situations. My brother said, “The greatest soccer player of all time was Pele.” Quotation marks—or “inverted commas” as they’re known in British English—always come in pairs. US style generally calls Note that the first word of a direct quotation begins with a capital for double quotes where UK style employs single quotes. Single letter, as in the example above. When a quoted statement is divid- quotes are sometimes used in US style but primarily for special- ed with an expression such as he said or the teacher asked, the ized purposes in fields such as linguistics or phonetics or in writ- second part starts with a lowercase letter. ing about plant cultivars. To add to the confusion, newspapers “Be careful,” she warned, “that you don’t let them hear you.” may use single quotes in headlines as a space-saving technique. When writing dialogue, begin a new paragraph and a new set of If you read books published in both the US and the UK, you’ve quotation marks each time the speaker changes. also seen punctuation differences in the use of quotation marks. In US style, commas and periods go inside the final set of quota- “Hey, guys, check out my new toy!” said Katrina as she ap- tion marks but in UK style the commas and periods follow the proached the desks of her co-workers, Dan and Sybil. She held quotation mark. out a slick new phone. US style: The investigator’s report stated there was “no sign of “That’s so cool!” said Dan. forced entry.” “Can I try it out?” asked Sybil. UK style: The investigator’s report stated there was “no sign of Fiction editor Beth Hill has a succinct, detailed, and clearly written forced entry”. blog post on how to use quotation marks and other forms of punc- Exposure to both styles can make it difficult to remember what to tuation in dialogue. See The Editor’s Blog on the next page. do. Let’s look at when—and how—to use quotation marks cor- Continued on next page rectly. To minimize confusion, the rest of this article employs only examples in US style. Faye Roberts (www.FayeRobertsEdits.com) Direct quotations is an independent copyeditor and proof- reader of fiction and nonfiction. A former Use quotation marks to indicate someone’s exact words, whether librarian, she lives in the north Florida and the words were spoken or written. Such direct quotations may metro Atlanta areas. Faye is a member of consist of just one word or may be a longer phrase. the Editorial Freelancers Association, ACES: He swore to her that he “always” locked the gate. The Society for Editing, and Sisters in Crime. Jan’s exact words were, “Tell Kyle I’m sorry. I never meant to do it.” According to the new regulations, the association may “take dis- First Draft Page 11

Eschew Obfuscation, continued

Unspoken discourse Resources Quotation marks may be used to distinguish the thoughts of a character, but this isn’t required. The decision is one of style. Bookmark these websites for quick reference on quotation “If this meeting lasts much longer,” thought Brad, “I’ll miss my marks. train.” The Editor’s Blog: http://theeditorsblog.net/2010/12/08/ punctuation-in-dialogue/ Why, she wondered as the plane gained altitude, did I ever decide to try skydiving? The Punctuation Guide: www.thepunctuationguide.com/ quotation-marks.html Other punctuation with quotation marks Although direct quotations are set off by commas, a question mark or exclamation point can also serve this purpose. “Why are you so late?” she asked. “It’s going to fall!” Declan shouted. While commas and periods go inside final quotation marks, semi- colons and colons go outside. “Eric,” his boss said, “you’re letting your work slide”; then he add- ed that the monthly report was overdue. Photo by Kady_MacFarlane / flickr When pressed, Suzanne listed these as her top picks for “beach reading”: serial mysteries with a female detective and chick lit romances. happens, you can place the terms in italics as an alternative to the distraction of quotation marks. Quotes within quotes Scare quotes In writing fiction (and following US style) about the only times you need to use single quotation marks are when there’s a quote with- Merriam-Webster defines scare quotes as “quotation marks used in a quote. In such cases, single quotation marks set off the quot- to express . . . skepticism or derision concerning the use of the ed material within the other words of the speaker. enclosed word or phrase.” These double quotation marks— sometimes called “shudder quotes” or “sneer quotes”— are used David said, “According to the new regulations, ‘the association to indicate that the word in use is one that’s not really accepted by may take disciplinary action’ when someone violates the rules.” the author. This arrangement is reversed in UK style. There the speaker’s My “friend” tipped off the cops and got me arrested. In this exam- words would be enclosed in single marks with the material quoted ple, the scare quotes could be replaced with the adjective so- by the speaker set off with double quotation marks. called and the meaning would be the same. If you use so-called, Words used as words you don’t need the quotation marks. You can also use quotation marks to set off words that are slang, As the wind rose and the storm’s intensity increased, he grabbed those that are technical terms, or those that provide a definition. a large soup pot and stuck it on his head as a “hard hat.” That new movie was “the bomb!” Unnecessary quotes He wasn’t merely intoxicated; he was “sloshed,” “hammered,” and Beware of using quotation marks where they’re not needed. even “pickled.” We’ve all seen signs displaying what look like randomly placed quotation marks. They’re usually intended to add emphasis, but On a kitchen knife, the unsharpened metal in the handle is the they often add humor instead. “tang.” Try our special “cheese” burgers. “Noir” is a type of crime fiction in which the protagonist is usually not a detective. Beware of the “dog.” The French phrase “à votre aise” can be translated to “suit your- Employees must “wash hands” before returning to work. self.” Savvy readers interpret these unneeded quotation marks as scare Be careful if there are many such terms in your writing; they can quotes and wonder what was really meant by “cheese” or “dog” contribute to visual clutter (as some examples just given). If this and how thoroughly those hands were washed. First Draft Page 12

Print Advertising: The Basics by Amy Rivers hen you’re flipping through down. Ask to see a sample W writers’ magazines, do you report and then make sure you notice those ads for new releas- understand exactly what those es? I know I do! If you’ve pub- figures mean so you can apply lished a book, or even if you’re that knowledge to deciphering just thinking about publishing a your own reports. book, there’s a good chance that Thinking about ad placement you’ll consider print advertising at some point in your process. For Most advertising programs will the purposes of this article, let’s have a complex pricing struc- talk about print advertising in ture based on the size and terms of fixed-size printed adver- color of your ad, the placement tisements that will appear in a within the publication, and how newspaper, magazine, journal, or many times the ad will run. Ad print newsletter. placement can be very important in terms of what you Key concepts: repetition and G. crescoli / Unsplash can afford and how well your location Choosing publications that will most likely ad will perform. For instance, Success in print advertising can connect with your target readers is key. ads placed near editorial con- be narrowed down to two key tent, rather than next to other concepts. First, let’s tackle repetition. ads, get more readers. Ads near the table of content, especially when placed near relevant content listings, get better readership. How many times should the ad run? Do your homework! Get back issues of the publications and Repetition is a pretty elementary concept, really. Remember when study their ad placement. See which ads stand out to you the you were in third grade and you did the same exercises over and most. over in order to commit the lessons to memory? The same con- Other things to consider cept applies with print advertising. The more times the target audience sees your ad, the more likely they are to remember it and to As with any advertisement program, there are other things to engage with you. Now consider the implications when you’re talk- think about when considering whether or not to embark on a print ing about advertisements in a magazine that runs once a month. ad campaign. In order to make an impact, you’ll want to run your ad three times, Cost or maybe six or nine or twelve. You may want to run every other month, or run more than one ad during special issues. You’ll make Print ads are generally more expensive than online ads, especial- your decisions based on placement, cost, etc. but at the end of ly once you factor in all the costs. Having a complete understand- the day, running your ad only once is likely to have very little last- ing of your budget, including whether you have any wiggle room, ing value with potential readers. is the first step in the process. You may find that you simply can’t afford to do print at this time, and that’s OK. There are plenty of Then, there’s the matter of location. Location can be broken down other methods for advertising your books or services on a smaller into two pieces: the publication in question and the actual place- budget. ment of your ad within said publication. Continued on next page Choosing the right publication for your ad Choosing publications that will most likely connect with your target readers is key. For instance, if you write romantic suspense, ad- Amy Rivers is a Colorado-based author. vertising in a literary poetry journal probably isn’t your best bet. She has published two novels, as well as several short stories and personal es- Obvious, right? Unfortunately, not every scenario is so clear-cut. says, and is a frequent contributor at And each publication’s advertising department will be pitching ESME.com and Novelty Bride Magazine. their ad program as if it is the one and only option for you. She also worked in marketing for a decade before writing full time. You can So how do you choose? learn more about her at Ask a lot of questions. Request media kits, one-sheets, and other www.amyrivers.com, where she hosts a sources of information about the publication’s readership and the weekly blog feature called rate of return they expect to see with your ad. Ask about what kind #WhatsYourStory. If you’re interested in guest blogging, you can email her at of reports you will receive and how those analytics will be broken [email protected]. First Draft Page 13

Print Advertising, continued Next, you’ll have to consider all the costs associated with creating and running the ad. Maybe you’re a wiz with Adobe InDesign, Photoshop, or Illustrator and creating ad content will be a breeze. But if that’s not the case, you’ll need to factor in the cost of hiring a graphics designer to help create a compelling ad. Some publications may have graphics designers on staff that you can use. Ask about additional costs and be sure to understand exactly what services they will provide. Whether you work with an in-house designer or hire your own, you may be limited on the number of changes you can request, among other things, so make sure to ask questions. In addition to paying for labor, you may also have to pay for stock images and other components needed to create your ad. Dai Ke / Unsplash Then, you’ll pay costs based on the size of your ad, its placement Next, you’ll have to consider all the costs within the publication, and the number of times your ad will run. associated with creating and running the ad. For instance, a full-color full-page ad in a national magazine could Maybe you’re a wiz with Adobe InDesign, cost thousands of dollars, while a black-and-white, eighth-page ad Photoshop, or Illustrator and creating ad in a regional magazine might only cost a few hundred, making it content will be a breeze. But if that’s not the much more affordable. You may receive a discount for running the case, you’ll need to factor in the cost of hiring ad more times. You may also find that advertising agencies are a graphics designer to help create a running special promotions, so if there’s a place you’d really like to advertise, pay attention to deals. compelling ad. Ad specs tive use of your resources is a critical, and yet, often overlooked Print ads are different from online ads in many ways, including part of the process. Once you see your ad in print, you may be fixed sizing. In this digital world, we may be used to having as tempted to call it a day and move on to different projects. Resist much room as we want to write our blogs or create amazing the urge! Taking a look at your ad performance in terms of sales memes to share with friends. But in the world of print, space is generation, social media follows, email contacts, or whatever limited. When designing a print ad, you have to think carefully else you are trying to accomplish is a necessary step in deciding about legibility, color, and contrast. Your ad may look amazing whether or not it was worth it. This measure may differ greatly when it’s taking up 10 inches on your screen, but how does it look from author to author, or even campaign to campaign, but without when it’s shrunk down to the size of a business card? Can you it, you’re spending your precious marketing dollars blindly. read it? Does the design stand out? Is it too busy? Does it provide Is print advertising right for you? all the information you need it to? For authors with a limited budget, print advertising can be ex- If you’re designing your own ad, make sure you are 100 percent tremely costly and have little immediate impact on sales. When clear on the specs. This will include the ad dimensions, as well as considering print advertising, consider whether the long-term the resolution and file format your ad needs to be submitted in. impact is worth the short-term payout. If the answer is no, looking You may have to leave margins around your ad to allow for print into online advertising and other forms of promotion may be the bleed. Try printing the ad out before you send and see how it right choice for you. But print advertising may present a chance looks on your printer. Paying attention to the details will help make to get in front of a new reader group, so if you’re still considering your ad dynamic and effective. running print ads, proceed cautiously, ask lots of questions, and Measuring success do your research. The more you know up front, the happier you’ll be with the results. Determining whether your print ad campaign has been an effec- First Draft Page 14

Producing Audiobooks, Part 2 by Judy Penz Sheluk n Part I of this series, I If I’m going to spend a I shared how to produce significant amount of an audiobook using ACX time over several from a rights holder’s per- weeks or months with a spective. In Part II, I’ve project, I want to enjoy interviewed four producers the subject matter. (in ACX lingo, the narrator Kelli Lindsay: When I is called a producer) to find choose a royalty share out how they “select” a project I make sure that book and author under a the content is some- royalty share agreement. thing that I enjoy and They are: feel passionate about, Claira Jordyn (Skeletons in something that I would the Attic: A Marketville want to read myself. Mystery—July 2017) Because all audiobook projects are very Suzanne T. Fortin (The lengthy and time- Hanged Man’s Noose: A consuming, I also do Glass Dolphin Mystery— research to see how likely it will be that the book will sell well. November 2017) Judy: What raises a “red flag” to you? Kate Tyler (Live Free or Tri: A Collection of Three Short Mystery Stories—January 2018) Claira: Red flags come when an author boasts incessantly about how successful they are, but upon looking into them noth- Kelli Lindsay (A Hole in One: A Glass Dolphin Mystery—Fall ing can be found. I tend to mistrust the situation then. 2018) Suzanne: Excessively long or very short books. For royalty Judy: What do you look for when selecting a project based share, eight hours is kind of the sweet spot. Under five, custom- on royalty share? ers are less likely to use their Audible credits; over 10, and the Claira Jordyn: I look for projects that I believe in when doing amount of work required makes it harder to turn a profit. royalty shares (RS). Do I like the author’s previous work? And Books that have been published for a long length of time with frankly, do they have followers/people that also love their work? almost no reviews, or only five-star friends/family reviews. Suzanne T. Fortin: Royalty share is a gamble, where I take all Authors that refuse to share sales numbers if requested, have no of the financial risk, and so I always try to answer three questions promotion plan, or are requesting complex work (duet or duel for myself before auditioning for a project (advice from award- narration, lots of complicated accents) on a short time frame with winning audiobook narrator and coach Sean Allen Pratt): 1. Will it no knowledge of how much work is required. be fun? 2. Will it make money? 3. Will it move my career forward? I don’t audition if I can’t say yes to two out of the three. Continued on next page An eight-hour audiobook takes approximately 48 hours of studio Judy Penz Sheluk is the author of two mys- time to complete if the narrator is doing their own post-production. tery series: The Glass Dolphin Mysteries Hiring out post-production costs the narrator $50-$100 per fin- (The Hanged Man’s Noose and A Hole in ished hour (PFH), but ultimately saves a huge amount of time and One) and The Marketville Mysteries improves the quality of the product. Alternately, the base pay rate (Skeletons in the Attic). Judy’s short crime for union narrators is $250 PFH. fiction appears in several collections, In order to break even at that rate on a RS project, it needs to sell including Live Free or Tri. She is a member 1,000 copies, assuming that we are averaging $2 royalty per of Sisters in Crime, International Thriller book. (An author who paid PFH rather than royalty share would Writers, the Short Mystery Fiction Society, need to sell 500 copies before they were making a full profit on and Crime Writers of Canada, where she the book royalty.) I have one project that has sold eight copies in currently serves on the board of directors the year that the audio has been released. My current PFH rate representing Toronto/Southern Ontario. for that title is 64 cents. My current actual hourly rate is...0. Find Judy on her website/blog at www.judypenzsheluk.com, where she interviews and showcases the works of other authors and blogs Kate Tyler: I look for projects that are personally appealing to me. about the writing life. First Draft Page 15

Producing Audiobooks, continued Kate: I don’t bother to engage in great storytellers, and if it looks anything that conflicts with my like a relationship I’d like to be in! personal beliefs. Other than that, Suzanne: I generally look at occasionally I’ll see something their available work on Amazon, that is nonfiction but is not well read samples and reviews. I researched. And rarely I’ll see Google them and look at their projects that are not edited websites. properly—grammar errors and incomplete sentences or punctu- Kate: If it is a series or a longer ation errors. Those I’ll pass on. book (more than two hours), I’ll check to see how the books are Kelli: Sometimes it is glaringly doing on Amazon. ACX provides obvious that it is a project that is some sales data, but the data either not of good quality or the just reflects how the book has author or company releasing the done “lately” which is not neces- book has unclear or unpleasant sarily useful. I’ll check out the intentions, which will just be a book on Amazon and check out waste of my time or energy. the reviews. If the reviews are These clues are most obvious in positive, it may have a following. the writing, whether it be gram- Also, I will check out the Face- matical errors all over the manu- book page or website for the script or sometimes the writing author. actually doesn’t make any sense The audiobook of Live Free or Tri: A Collection of and seems like something was Three Short Mystery Stories, narrated by Kate Tyler. Kelli: Absolutely! Before I au- brutally lost in translation some- dition for a book I generally look where. Also, if I do research on the book up on Amazon or the book and/or author and noth- Goodreads and see what other ing comes up, that’s also an indication that it might not be an hon- things the author has written and what kind of reviews the books est project. have received. I also look at the author’s online presence to see what kind of following they have with their writing. For me, narrat- Judy: Do you research the author, and if so, how? ing is a partnership between the author and myself and I want to Claira: I do search the author! I use all forms of social media make sure that I’m partnering with someone that’s as passionate and try to find out if they have followers, if people think they’re about bringing their story to life as I am.

Guppy Manuscript Swaps by Jane Gorman

re you interested in receiving feedback on your manuscript? just want one more quick run-through looking for anything nitpicky A Guppy manuscript swaps are perfect if you have a manu- you may have missed? script that’s completed and you’re looking for one more set of 5. What level of feedback you’re prepared to offer in exchange eyes to read through it and provide feedback. For lots of information about what is expected from a critique, If you have a complete manuscript you are interested in swapping check out the guidelines on the Guppy website here: with one or more Guppies, send the following information to https://sincguppies.wildapricot.org/Critiquing. [email protected]: If you almost have a manuscript ready but not quite, never fear! 1. Subgenre of your manuscript I’ll be sending email reminders every month, so don’t feel pres- 2. Short blurb (think inside book jacket copy) sured to respond now. 3. Any subgenres you are not interested in swapping for/with We’re all at different stages in our writing. If you’re looking for feedback over the long term as you work on your manuscript, 4. What stage your manuscript is in and what kind of feedback don’t forget about the critique group option. If you are interested you’re looking for: big picture, plot holes, thoughts about charac- in joining a critique group, contact the Guppy Critique Group ter arcs? Or is this book really ready to go to publication and you Coordinator at [email protected]. First Draft Page 16

Ipso Facto: The Staircase by Keenan Powell etflix recently released an updated Lee, a DNA expert, and a jury selection N version of The Staircase, a docu- expert. mentary. Over the course of 13 epi- A witness coach was hired who tried to sodes, the camera followed Michael teach Michael Peterson to look authen- Peterson through his arrest, trial, ap- tic, relaxed, and comfortable in a court- peals, and ultimate plea deal involving room. At the conclusion of a night of the death of his wife, Kathleen Peter- rehearsal, Rudolf finally suggested Pe- son. terson should take a Valium before the The documentary presents several as- trial. These efforts seem laughable, but pects interesting to a crime fiction writ- the truth is that the jury watches the er: First, the prosecution was fraught defendant and how they perceive him, with misconduct, raising the question: if and his reaction to the evidence, is Michael Peterson was guilty, why did bound to influence their deliberations. the prosecution have to cheat? Second, Focus groups and mock trial Peterson had enough money to pay for the best defense money could buy. Is Focus groups and mock trials are state justice for sale? Third, there is profes- of the art for big, expensive litigation. sional-quality video beginning with his This documentary is a rare opportunity arraignment. Did the possibility of media to observe slices of these processes. rights influence Peterson’s behavior? The first focus group was conducted to explore the efficacy of defense expert The prosecution Henry Lee’s testimony. The group found On December 9, 2001, Michael Peter- it difficult to understand his reasoning son placed two 911 calls. In the first, he and believed that he stretched his anal- said he had found his wife Kathleen ysis to prove the defense theory. De- Peterson at the bottom of the stairs. spite their reaction, he was used at trial. She had fallen, was bleeding, but still breathing. He disconnected Another focus group was held to explore how prejudicial the con- the call, inexplicably, then called back again 15 minutes later to siderable pretrial publicity had been on prospective jurors. The report that she was no longer breathing. She had bled out through film doesn’t mention whether the traditional legal strategies to several scalp wounds. combat pretrial publicity were used, such as seeking a gag order When the EMTs arrived, the blood, which was pooled under her or motion for change of venue. and splattered all over the walls, was dry. Peterson’s story didn’t A mock trial was conducted. In a mock trial, several people are add up. If Kathleen had still been breathing during the first 911 paid to be the jurors. Abbreviated versions of arguments and evi- call, the blood could not have dried by the time the EMTs arrived. dence are presented. A moderator will then ask the group neutral The prosecution’s theory was that on the night of her death, Kath- questions intended to open discussion about their reactions to the leen Peterson had discovered homosexual pornography and sala- trial attorney, the defense theory, and the evidence. We don’t see cious emails on her husband’s computer, a fight ensued, and he the mock juror’s deliberations but have a chance to see them killed her using a missing blow poke (a fireplace poker that can be watching video and Rudolf watching them. blown through). The implication was raised Peterson had hidden Continued on next page the blow poke before the police arrived. Following the arraignment, defense attorney David Rudolf gave a press interview espousing the traditional “rush to judgment” de- Keenan Powell is an attorney prac- fense, to wit: the police had latched onto one suspect and contort- ticing in Anchorage, Alaska. Her ed the investigation to prove that man’s guilt when they should debut book, Deadly Solution, was have gathered the evidence in an impartial manner and consid- published by Level Best Books in ered all the possible explanations. Throughout the case, Peterson January. Her short story “The Ban- insisted that his wife’s death was the result of an accidental fall. shee of Adams, Massachusetts” appeared in Crime Bake’s 2017 The defense anthology, Snowbound. Her hobbies In mounting Peterson’s defense, Rudolf assembled a team, in include oil painting, classical harp, addition to his staff of paralegals and an associate attorney, in- and walking her Irish Wolfhounds. She blogs regularly for Mysteristas. cluding a crusty private investigator, the forensic scientist Henry First Draft Page 17

Ipso Facto, continued The first staircase death Deaver’s testimony In 1985, Peterson and his first In episode five, Rudolf cross- wife were living in Germany examined Duane Deaver, an and had become friends with agent with the North Carolina another American couple, a State Bureau of Investigation soldier and his wife, Elizabeth and a prosecution witness Ratliff. The two wives had met who, in my mind, was argu- when teaching school on base. mentative and shifty. Deaver Ratliff’s husband was killed in admitted he had conducted the line of duty. Several luminol tests on the defend- months later, the Petersons ant’s shirt, which were nega- and the widow had spent the tive, and claimed he had per- evening together, as was their sonally delivered the report to custom. Peterson’s wife took the DA, who never produced it their small sons home to put Photo courtesy of Sundance Channel to the defense. Negative tests them to bed and Peterson Michael Peterson at trial. are exculpatory evidence. The stayed behind to help Eliza- prosecution is under a duty to beth Ratliff put her two toddlers produce all exculpatory evi- to bed, again as was their custom. Then he was to follow her as dence to the defense. she drove her car to a mechanic’s garage, leaving the two tod- Years after Peterson’s conviction, it was learned that, in an unre- dlers unattended. The next morning, the nanny found Elizabeth lated case, Deaver had withheld exculpatory evidence. That de- Ratliff dead at the bottom of the stairs in a copious pool of blood. fendant’s conviction was overturned. The state then reexamined Her death was ruled as caused by an intracerebral hemorrhage. all of Deaver’s cases, whereupon it was learned that in the Peter- Just a few weeks before Peterson’s trial for the murder of Kath- son case he had withheld results of one test that would have un- leen, the prosecution had Ratliff’s body exhumed, transported dercut his opinions (i.e., exculpatory evidence), had lied about his from its Texas gravesite to North Carolina, and autopsied by the experience, and had conducted laughable experiments trying to same medical examiner who had previously opined that Kathleen recreate the splatter evidence. Because of the discovery of this Peterson was murdered, with television commentator Nancy evidence, Peterson was granted a new trial. Grace following the proceedings daily. Not surprisingly, the medi- The plea cal examiner concluded that Ratliff had been murdered. The theory was that Peterson had killed Ratliff and gotten away with it, so Peterson’s team then filed a motion to dismiss on the grounds that when he killed Kathleen, he staged the murder to look the same, it could no longer receive a fair trial because the DNA evidence figuring he’d get away with it, too. This evidence was introduced at had been contaminated. That motion was denied. Peterson had a trial. choice of going to trial again, possibly losing and spending the rest of his life in prison or negotiating a plea. But he wanted exon- The blow poke eration. The problem was, and is, the justice system never exon- Two days before the case went to jury, one of Peterson’s sons erates. A not guilty verdict means simply there was insufficient found the missing blow poke in the garage. No one knew how it evidence to convict. Even if he sued the state for malicious prose- got there. There was no blood or tissue on it, only typical fireplace cution and won, the verdict would be that there was insufficient grime, and there were cobwebs attaching it to the garage wall, evidence to prosecute him, not that he was innocent of the charg- evidence that it had been there a long time. The defense intro- es. duced the blow poke to prove that it was not the weapon used and After Peterson lost the motion to dismiss, he offered to take an that Peterson had not hidden it. Alford plea on the charge of manslaughter. For a long time, the Years later, Rudolf discovered that the police had known where prosecution refused to accept the plea because the victim’s family the blow poke was all along. During a search, two detectives had would not agree, which raises interesting questions about the ex- found the blow poke, taken it outside and photographed it, (the tent to which a victim’s family controls a case. In many jurisdic- photographs were never produced to the defense), and then had tions, victims and their families have the right to attend every pro- left it in the garage where Peterson’s son found it. Despite this ceeding and to speak. In jurisdictions where the judges and the knowledge, the prosecution claimed throughout the trial that the district attorneys are elected, those elected officials would be blow poke was the suspected murder weapon and that it had more vulnerable to the public’s perception of how the victim is been hidden by Peterson. treated in court. Continued on next page First Draft Page 18

Ipso Facto, continued The differences between an Alford plea and a no contest plea are Coda subtle. Both pleas are negotiated; the prosecution must agree to My curiosity was aroused in the first episode when I noticed the accept a plea to lesser charge. In both pleas, the defendant is professional quality of film taken during the arraignment and that found guilty and convicted. In the no contest or nolo contendere the cameraman followed Peterson from the courtroom into book- plea, the defendant is continuing to plead not guilty, but in order to ing, which is highly unusual. I began to suspect that Peterson, obtain a conviction on a lesser charge, he will agree that the pros- only days after his wife’s death, was exploring how to capitalize. ecution has sufficient evidence to convict him of that charge. In This thought struck me again later in the series when Peterson is the Alford plea, the defendant agrees to plead guilty, although he shown typing an article about Elizabeth Ratliff’s exhumation that insists he is innocent, in had been formatted like a order to obtain the lesser book chapter. charge. In many jurisdictions, The major practical differ- someone who is convicted ence is that, depending on of a crime is prohibited from the jurisdiction, a no con- receiving money for media test plea may not be ad- rights regarding the crime missible in subsequent civil story. I wondered as I litigation, whereas the Al- watched the plea negotia- ford conviction may be. If tions if these media rights the victim’s family wanted were a factor in Peterson’s to sue the defendant in civil insistence on exoneration. court, the litigation would He needed the exoneration be shortened considerably to sell his story. Throughout if they could use the con- the filming, he said repeat- viction as proof of liability. edly that no one was interested in the truth, only him. It sounded This was not really a consideration in this case because by the to me like he was developing a book deal pitch. time the plea deal was considered, the victim’s family already had As Rudolf said, everyone wants to know what the truth is because a judgment against Peterson. this is a murder mystery, and everyone loves a mystery, but the The real difference between an Alford truth does not always leave evidence and a no contest plea is how palata- In many jurisdictions, someone who is behind. ble it is to the defendant, the prosecu- convicted of a crime is prohibited from For the fiction crime writer, this series tion, and the victim or her family. And receiving money for media rights re- is an excellent study of flawed char- that was the bone of contention in this garding the crime story. I wondered as acters, motive, plot twists, the justice case. Kathleen’s sister wanted to hear system, and how the camera’s intru- I watched the plea negotiations if these the word “guilty” come out of Peter- sion influences the story. The story is son’s mouth. Peterson did not want to media rights were a factor in Peter- told as Michael Peterson’s, but in the say it. son’s insistence on exoneration. He background is the only real character Ultimately, he did. Peterson entered needed the exoneration to sell his sto- arc, that of David Rudolf. an Alford plea to the charge of man- ry. After dedicating himself to Peterson’s slaughter, was convicted, and imme- case and appeals for years, eventual- diately released as he had already ly he begged off from a retrial, only served more time than the maximum imprisonment for man- agreeing to represent Peterson in plea negotiations. A case like slaughter. this is a case of a lifetime, not in a good way. The financial burden A final interview was with the trial judge. He told the off-camera of a retrial would have been crippling to Rudolf, no less crippling interviewer that he probably would not have admitted the evidence than the emotional cost. Attorneys can become obsessed about of the Ratliff murder or the pornography and emails if the case cases. For years, they may abandon their personal life for the crusade, destroying their home lives and leaving them emotionally was retried. He thought that, without that evidence, it was a rea- devastated when there is a bad result, which was apparent for sonable doubt case—meaning Peterson could have been acquit- Rudolf. He truly believed Peterson was an innocent man. ted. He could also have been convicted. First Draft Page 19

Author Interview: Sasscer Hill by Lourdes Venard inhaled Sasscer Hill’s Flamin- ety and she doesn’t like it that I go Road in a couple of days—it much. has great scenes surrounding Q. To go back to the begin- horse racing, shows some of the ning of your journey: You were weirdness of my home state a horse breeder for 32 years (Florida), has a strong female and you raced horses as an protagonist, and, most important- amateur steeplechase jockey. ly, has a plot that keeps you How did you go from horse hooked. Flamingo Road and the breeding to writing about hors- second book in the series, The es? Dark Side of Town, were published by St. Martin’s/Minotaur A. It’s more that I went from Press. writing to raising horses. All through grammar school, high Flamingo Road won the $10,000 school, and college, the one Dr. Tony Ryan Book Award for thing I could do well was any Best in Racing literature, beating kind of creative writing. When I out a book by Felix Francis, son graduated from college, I of Dick Francis. Her novels have should have gotten a master’s also won a Carrie McCray award in fine arts in hindsight. I didn’t. and been finalists for Agatha, The era I came from, women Macavity, and Claymore awards. were supposed to go to college I was especially excited to talk to because it was a nice way to Sasscer about her books and her get finished, but then you were career, which has taken as many supposed to get married and twists and turns as the plots in have kids. So I never had the her books. support. Q. I wanted to interview you I always knew I could write because I feel that you have real- well. In the fifth grade, my ly worked toward having this ca- teacher had us write a little reer. Sometimes writers give up story. I was crazy about the too quickly when they don’t find Black Stallion books, so I wrote an agent or a publisher, or if their a little scene that could have publisher drops them, or whatev- been in a Black Stallion book. er happens. Photo courtesy of Sasscer Hill The teacher had me read it aloud to the class, and all A. Well, what’s happened now is “All through grammar school, high school, and these little kids raised their that Flamingo Road and The Dark college, the one thing I could do well was any hands and asked, “What hap- Side of Town are not selling well kind of creating writing.” pens next?” That’s when I enough for St. Martin’s to give me knew I had something. a third book. So I’m now writing —Sasscer Hill another series. It’s just an end- Continued on next page less journey and sometimes it’s frustrating. I thought that with St. Martin’s I had arrived. So it’s upsetting. Macmillan, which owns St. Martin’s, now wants to focus on big books, like The Girl on the Lourdes Venard is an independ- Train. My books are not big books; they are niche books. If I had ent manuscript editor and started with them [St. Martin’s] back when they were sort of nur- copyediting instructor at the Uni- turing books and authors, I might have done well. versity of California, San Diego. So now I’m working on a book about the Irish American travelers. After 30 years of working at They are the gypsies of the South and they are amazing scam newspapers around the country, artists. The culture is interesting. The kids are taken out of school she turned her eye to fiction. She by eighth grade, and girls are entered into marriage contracts owns Comma Sense Editing, at when they are 11 years old. They just fleece people of their mon- www.commasense.net. ey. My protagonist is a 19-year-old girl born into the Traveler soci- First Draft Page 20

Author Interview, continued Q. In an article you wrote for First Draft a few years ago [“The Road to a Big Publisher,” September 2015], you said you started writing in 1994 but you didn’t publish your first book, Full Mortality, until 2010. A. That first book was a first writer’s book and it is in a drawer, where it belongs. I then took writing courses from The Writer’s Center in Bethesda. I took a course in mystery writing, and that’s when I wrote the first Nikki Latrelle book. With that first book, I had an agent and she sent it around and it was rejected—and I just kept going. I wrote the next one. My publisher, John Betancourt of Wildside Press, was in my critique group when I was reading from the second book and he said, “I will publish this book.” I said thanks, but I want to wait for a New York publisher and the “big deal.” I waited and waited and waited on these New York publishers. The stock market and horse market crashed. Finally, on February 4, 2010, I couldn't stand it anymore. I had felt weak and unwell for weeks, and with the blizzard called Snowmaged- don scheduled to hit the next day, I asked John if he would look at the first in the series, Full Mortality. I sent him the manuscript and the next day he said, “I’ll do this.” I’ve always kind of believed in serendipity; sometimes the stars align in your favor. Q. There were a lot of other things happening, though, in your life at that point. A. Yes, my agent promptly informed me a New York publisher would no longer want to take on the rest of the series and that going with a small press was not in my best interest. We parted ways. On Monday, February 15, I realized I was really sick. I’d had a pain in my upper back that was especially bad when I woke up. I was extremely tired and weak. I attributed it to the snowstorm, the lifting and Sasscer Hill Books fighting with endless firewood, the wood stove, smoke and ashes. I Fia McKee series attributed it to walking through deep snow, the two tough yearling colts The Dark Side of Town (2018) I handled each day. Flamingo Road (2017) But that morning I thought I was having a heart attack—chest pain, Nikki Latrelle mysteries couldn’t get my air. At the hospital, I learned I had five or six “things” in my lungs. I had a lung biopsy, and they sent me home on February 17 Full Mortality to await results due on February 19. Except, they didn’t believe the Racing from Death biopsy and sent it off to the lung pathologist at Johns Hopkins. I waited The Sea Horse Trade another week. Steamroller (novella) Finally, I was diagnosed with indolent, non-Hodgkins, B-cell lympho- Game (novella) ma. A terrible blow. I underwent treatment and, so far, it has been wonderfully successful. Racing from Evil (novella) Short story collections Full Mortality was published in May of 2010. The book received rave reviews and was nominated for both Agatha and Macavity Best First Pretty Fraudulent and Venomous Book awards. Unfortunately, when I finished the third book, The Sea Gripping Tales of Fact and Fiction Horse Trade, and found a new agent I discovered that my old agent Standalone had been right. No New York publisher would touch a book that was “used goods,” part of a series already in the hands of another publish- Colonel Warburton’s Madness er. Maybe if the books were selling hundreds of thousands of copies... Nonfiction Continued on next page Rare Highs, Killer Lows First Draft Page 21

Author Interview, continued Q. That first series—Nikki get information across without be- Latrelle—was published by ing “telling.” That’s really important. Wildside, but then you got the rights Q. You do a lot of marketing of back and self-published. How did your own books. Did you get any that work out for you, and what do help from St. Martin’s and what do you think of self-publishing in gen- you find works for you? eral? A. I’ve done everything on my own. A. It was the best thing I ever did. I would write to my editor and say After I redid the covers, I got more there’s this fabulous horse expo, money than I had been getting be- but I don’t have enough money to fore. As for self-publishing, I think go. Can you give me some sort of it’s good, for the reasons everybody stipend? And they said, no we don’t gives. You have more control and do that. They didn’t even publicize now things are changing—there’s the award [Dr. Tony Ryan Book more distribution. I use Draft2Dig- Award] or do anything. ital; they get it up everywhere: Barnes & Nobles, Kobo, all the digi- With marketing, it’s so hard to know tal distributors. You can see exactly what works. Boosting posts on how many books you sold; you can Facebook has been my biggest never do that with a publisher. waste of money. But I go on all When you do a marketing cam- these pages for mysteries and paign, you can see results— you books twice a week and I post my can see what works and what latest reviews and news. Whenever doesn’t. I do that, I see an immediate uptick Photo courtesy of Sasscer Hill in sales. I also do that in all the Q. Back to your latest series, the horse racing pages on Facebook— Sasscer Hill at the Preakness, where she did a Fia McKee books, I was surprised a there are about 30 of them. If you little that the plotline was about the book signing. write a knitting book, post on knit- butchering of horses and that there ting groups. It doesn’t cost any- was one scene early on that was a thing. little graphic. Why did you think it was important to show this? Of all the things that have worked, the most astonishing and im- A. I wanted to show it because it’s real, it’s happening. It was mediate results were with an interview I did on a horse racing TV just so moving to me that I put it in there. It’s a real thing. station—TVG Network. I was told the interview, which was live, Q. How do you incorporate details from the horse world with- would last three to five minutes. I called in and it lasted 18 out having a book where your research shows too much? minutes. That’s when the Fia McKee hardbacks shot up to a 17,000 Amazon sales rank in one day! Just from that one inter- A. Yes, some books sound almost like a documentary. With view. the Nikki Latrelle stories, I used the horse races as a plot guide- post to work toward. Between each race, there would be another Q. Anything you would have done differently or any advice storyline going on—your heroine is worried to death about what’s for Guppies? going on, but has to stick to her job. You find things in horse rac- A. For people who want to be writers, they need to know you ing that introduce characters that are nefarious or move the story won’t make much money. I used to roll my eyes when people said in another direction. Any writer can look toward a major event that that. Nevertheless, I wouldn’t get another job. I would go back and can be planted as a road sign in the plot and write toward it. A get my MFA and get started sooner. I would tell Guppies: it’s a good example is Water for Elephants. The author [Sara Gruen] wonderful life and it’s rewarding. When you get in a groove and spent months researching that book, but she turned it into a story write a great chapter, it’s ‘Wow, how did I do that?!’ You have con- that didn’t sound overly researched. trol. You’re not working for a boss who’s yelling on the intercom to Q. You said in another interview that Dick Francis is your fa- come into his office because you’ve screwed something up. vorite mystery writer. Can you tell us what you like about his style Writing makes me feel complete. When I’m “in the zone,” anything and how that has influenced your own writing? that is wrong in my life becomes unimportant. A. He writes spare, like Robert B. Parker wrote spare. And Q. Thank you, Sasscer, for your time. You can find out more they both influenced my writing. I follow the writers I like and those about Sasscer Hill and her books at https://www.sasscerhill.com writers are spare. They just tell the story without extraneous infor- or on her Facebook page. mation you don’t need. Dialogue is a great way to stay spare and First Draft Page 22

The Flip Side: Writing Rules No One Told Me About by Nancy L. Eady hen I wrote my first Rule 5: When you type W blog post in February “The End” on your first draft, 2011, I knew exactly how it isn’t. Novels take a lot of this gig should play out. A revision. publisher or agent or other Rule 6: When you can af- person connected with the ford it, use the services of a book industry would stumble professional editor. I was across my blog, get in touch hesitant to do this with my with me, and I would ride off first draft. I didn’t want any- into the sunset in a blaze of one taking over my story. glory, surrounded by admir- Still, I plucked up my cour- ers and with my pockets full age and my finances, and of cash. sent my baby away for a After realizing the writing developmental edit. Am I world works differently, I ever glad I did! The editor moved on to Plan B—write a works with you to point out mystery novel. Once I wrote your work’s strengths and “The End” on the first draft, I would receive phone calls and offers weaknesses. She or he may provide suggestions as examples for galore, the book would be printed, and I still would get to ride off you to follow, but you choose what you do and how you do it. happily into the sunset. Rule 7: Never stop learning. Time management matters. Sign- Ummm, not so much. Apparently, they ran out of horses. I have ing up for a Guppy class guarantees that my workload in my day yet to find an agent, yet to sell my novel, yet to finish my second job will jump 200 percent or more during the class period. novel, and yet to win any awards (except for some blogging Rule 8: Persevere. Never, ever, ever give up. Many people awards that made the rounds a few years back much the same quit writing after that first novel goes unsold, the first story is ig- way that chain letters do.) But even in the foothills of a career, nored, or their blog readership stays stagnant. With rare excep- lessons can be learned, so I thought I’d share a few I have tions, the people who are successfully published didn’t give up. gleaned so far. They kept writing, even if the first novel, the second novel, the Rule 1: It is impossible to proofread your own work with 100 third novel, etc., stayed in the desk drawer. percent accuracy. As one wit said (probably Mark Twain or Ben Rule 9: Community involvement matters. Join your genre’s Franklin—always good guesses with quotes), “Facts are stubborn writing community, such as Sisters in Crime or chapters like the things, but fallacies are stubborner.” Our brains are amazing, but Guppies. Membership keeps writing from being such a lonely pur- they know what we intended to write, so they automatically fill in suit, gives you contacts in the industry, provides you with emotion- missing words and skip extra words. al support when you are discouraged, and provides learning op- Rule 2: Any error you leave in your writing will appear in the portunities. worst place possible. I learned this one doing legal writing for my Rule 10: When you have a day job, sitting down at night and day job, but it holds true for fiction. I’d catch every single mistake opening your laptop to start writing is the international signal for in a brief except the mistake at the very beginning where I gave children, dogs, and Microsoft updates to interrupt you. Move your the brief the wrong name, told the judge the motion was from the bedtime back at least an hour, or you’ll never get anything done. wrong person, or asked the judge to grant the motion I was trying to get him/her to deny.

Rule 3: Do not give characters names starting with the same Nancy Eady is a writer and lawyer letter or containing the same sound. That confuses readers. My living in small-town central Alabama first novel included names like Ashley, Molly, Maggie, Johnny, with her husband, daughter, and two Henderson, Herring, and Howard. It was the second or third re- dogs. She is the author of the blog write before I changed them to names like Heather, Rose, Jack- “Tales from the Mom-Side: My Adven- son, and Tony. tures as a Working Mom,” located at www.workingmomadventures.com. Rule 4: Find and replace is your friend, especially when you She is seeking an agent for her first have to change names from Ashley, Molly, Maggie, Johnny, Hen- novel, Sleight of Hand. derson, Herring, and Howard to Heather, Rose, Jackson, and Tony. First Draft Page 23

Brides in the Bath by Bradley Harper r. Spilsbury (1877–1947) was one of similar circumstances in London. Subse- D the earliest full-time forensic quent photographs of the various husbands pathologists in the world. Tall, handsome, proved they were all Mr. George J. Smith. and confident bordering on arrogant, he WARNING: DO NOT TRY THIS AT HOME! was the one witness for the Crown that defense barristers dreaded cross- For weeks, Spilsbury pondered the riddle of examining above all others. Early in his the bathtubs. Bessie Mundy was described career he made a name for himself by as having her feet out of the water, her identifying the body found in Dr. Crippen’s head submerged. Spilsbury reasoned cellar as Mrs. Crippen’s, but his fame was Smith must have seized her by the feet and established for all time when he unraveled jerked them up toward himself, sliding the the puzzle of “The Brides in the Bath.” upper part of the body underwater. The sudden flood of water into her nose and Edwardian England had a shortage of throat might cause sudden loss of con- young, single men. Infant mortality was sciousness, explaining the absence of inju- significantly higher among male infants, ries and minimal signs of drowning. and many men left for the colonies as soon as they were able to seek their for- Inspector Neil hired experienced female tune. Thus, the tall and flamboyant divers of the same size and build as the George Joseph Smith (under various victims. He tried to push them underwater names) had little difficulty in finding wom- Dr. Spilsbury, one of the earliest full- by force but could not do so without leaving en willing to marry him. He lacked a knack time forensic pathologists. signs of struggle. Neil then, without warn- for keeping them, however, though he did ing, jerked up the feet of one of the divers, manage to keep them long enough to go through their life savings and her head slid underwater before she could react. Neil was and steal any jewelry they had. shocked to see the woman become motionless as soon as her head went underwater; it took over half an hour to revive her. At some point Mr. Smith decided he wasn’t getting as much out of When she finally came to, she said that all she remembered was the experience as he might, so beginning with a Miss Bessie Mun- the rush of water before losing consciousness, confirming Spils- dy, he married them, took out a generous (to him) insurance poli- bury’s theory. cy, then murdered them in the bathtub. It took the jury about 20 minutes to find George Joseph Smith In January 1915, Detective Inspector Arthur Neil of Scotland Yard guilty of murder. Smith was hanged shortly after in Maidstone received a letter written on behalf of a landlord in Blackpool. The Prison. Until then, he had to content himself with a prison shower. landlord and his wife had rented a flat for a brief time to a newly married couple in 1913 when they were called to the bathroom by The “Brides in the Bath” have been mentioned in various mystery the distraught husband upon “finding” his wife dead in the bath. stories, most notably by Agatha Christie’s A Caribbean Mystery The landlords were struck by another, similar death reported in and The Murder on the Links, and Dorothy L. Sayers’ Unnatural the papers recently occurring in Highgate, London. Death and Busman’s Honeymoon. Inspector Neil went to the lodgings in Blackpool and was struck by An interesting footnote to Dr. Spilsbury’s career occurred during how small the tub was and failed to see how an adult could have WW II, when he was involved in selecting a body that could be “drowned” in a bathtub three-quarters the length of the deceased. used to simulate a British officer who had drowned while carrying He also discovered the widower had taken out substantial life official secrets, in order to deceive the Germans as to the actual insurance policies on his wife a day before her death. site of the Allied landing on Sicily. The ruse was entirely successful and immortalized in the movie The Man Who Never Was. In London he met with the coroner who had examined the second body. He said the only finding at autopsy was a small bruise above the left elbow. The coroner mentioned the husband had Dr. Bradley Harper is a retired contacted him as he needed a final report to file his insurance army pathologist who began claim. Neil advised the coroner to file a false report citing natural writing four years ago. His first causes—when Mr. Smith arrived to claim it, he was arrested on novel, A Knife in the Fog, is suspicion of murder. scheduled for release in Octo- ber by Seventh Street Books. In Enter Spilsbury. He had the two bodies exhumed, but found no his story, a young Conan Doyle traces of poison, and the evidence for drowning was inconclusive. and Professor Joseph Bell, the Death seemed in both cases to be almost instantaneous. Finally, inspiration for Sherlock Holmes, he ordered the two bathtubs be taken to his laboratory, where he join the hunt for Jack the Rip- could examine them more closely. Meanwhile, the press had got- per. ten hold of the story, prompting a third report of a death under First Draft Page 24

Kensington Publishing: The Large Independent by Eona Calli ensington Publishing, tery program. One of the K the last large independ- subgenres John has ent not gobbled up by a con- worked to expand in recent glomerate, has managed to years is cozies. As other find success and do it their publishers began to de- way since 1974. For crease publications of co- unagented mystery writers, zies, Kensington saw a Kensington offers the sole niche opportunity open and opportunity of self- seized it. submission to a full-service Beginning this year, they’re big leagues publisher. planning to publish about Sound interesting? Read on 140 cozy mysteries a year. for more information about They have a minimum of this press, submission and eight new cozies per month decision processes, tips to across their hardcover, improve your odds of suc- trade paperback, and mass cess, and what to expect market paperback imprints, after you receive a well- plus at least three e-book deserved “yes” on your Photo courtesy of Kensington Publishing original mysteries released opus! each month through their Adam Zacharius, vice president and general manager, and digital first imprint, Lyrical Background Steven Zacharius, CEO and president. Press. Thrillers, suspense, The president and CEO of and historical traditional Kensington, Steven Zacharius, came on board in 1993 when the mysteries comprise the rest of their mystery publications, although company was in the midst of sales negotiations. At the time, Ste- cozies currently make up about 20 percent of their print frontlist. ven was running a successful printing company he’d created a Submission procedure decade before. His decision to permanently join Kensington played the pivotal role in its continued independence. He officially Up-to-date submission procedures can be found on their website. took the helm in 2005, when the company’s founder, his father, Here’s some must-have information not included there. Walter Zacharius, announced he was going to retire. (Walter end- Optimum manuscript length for cozies and historical traditional ed up working until he passed away in 2011 at age 87.) mysteries is around 80,000 words. Thriller and suspense writers Passionate about books (Steven reads a thriller every couple of get between 100,000 to 125,000 to tell their stories. But they will days) and publishing, he’s adamant about not selling to a con- consider anything between 60,000 and 90,000 words, John says. glomerate and keeping this family-run company private, explaining As for content requirements, pretty much anything goes at Ken- it allows a decision-making freedom he might not have with a larg- sington—if they like it and believe they can find readers for it, er company. His son, Adam, vice president and general manager they’ll publish it. Cozies do face the usual restrictions, based on since 2007, shares the same philosophy. reader preferences (no sex, violence, profanity, or harm to chil- With this company culture, it’s no surprise that Kensington’s close- dren and animals). Should you feel that your cozy requires one or knit community of 85 employees enjoys considerable discretion in more of these elements, and an editor agrees, Kensington will find their own activities—so much so, Steven notes, it’s a culture a way to market it, perhaps as a gritty mystery. shock for those coming from a big five publisher. Continued on next page Kensington began as a niche publisher, looking for an area in which the billion-dollar big publishers weren’t doing well or a smaller press, for a variety of reasons, could do better. Harlequin Eona Calli fell in love with village life on childhood visits to Greece. She later ob- had become successful with contemporary romances, so Ken- tained a doctorate, specializing in (you sington focused on historical romances and business boomed. guessed it!) villages. A history professor Over the years, they’ve moved into other niche areas, like west- for 14 years, she’s now a full-time mys- erns, where they dominate the market. Kensington now publishes tery writer. As she pitches her first edgy approximately 700 books per year. cozy series, she’s working away on a sec- Mysteries were printed almost from the onset, including the back- ond one. You can find her book-related list of one of the greatest early American writers of traditional mys- Greek(ish) recipes at http:// teries, Mary Roberts Rinehart. Editor-in-chief John Scognamiglio eonacalli.com. joined the company in 1992 and developed its first dedicated mys- First Draft Page 25

Kensington, continued Vida Engstrand, director of communica- es to do this sort of research for free. tions, notes they welcome voices and ex- Another possible source is Amazon, periences outside the mainstream majori- where sample pages on their “Look In- ty, including and not limited to diversity of side” the book feature may include the body, class, culture, race, religion, and front matter. sexuality. Martin recommends studying editors’ Kensington is one of the few large publish- purchasing patterns on Publishers Mar- ers who consider unagented submissions. ketplace. Be aware that some Kensing- “We’re always looking for authors to pub- ton deals don’t appear there, particularly lish,” John said in an interview. “And if for self-submitting authors, so you’re someone queries me about a project that relying on a portion and not the whole. sounds interesting and might fit our list, I’m Aren’t in the position to buy a month’s happy to take a look at it, regardless of subscription? Publishers Marketplace whether or not they have an agent.” usually offers a free trial period in De- cember. Certain deals are also reported The query letter is your knock on Kensing- through SinC Links and Publishers ton’s door. “Be concise and to the point,” Weekly. John said. “I want to know what the hook of the series is within the first paragraph.” Steven offers two pieces of advice to further improve your odds. First, pitch in They’d also like to know whether or not person to one of their editors; he’s even this book is the first in a series or a stand- game to hear pitches himself. Kensington alone. The brief biography also factors in editors are routinely in attendance at the decision to accept or pass (for more Killer Nashville, Magna Cum Murder, advice on this area, see below under ThrillerFest, Romance Writers of Ameri- Tips). Include comparable authors and/or Mary Feliz’s forthcoming e-book July ca, and Western Writers of America. On books in the letter. This helps them estab- release with Lyrical Press. occasion, editors participate in regional lish the target audience for this book, ac- events. Martin was at the Pikes Peak cording to Vida. Writers Conference, for instance, this year. Second, a written en- If you’re interested in publishing with their digital line, send along dorsement from an established writer can strengthen your sub- a synopsis as an attachment. Editor Martin Biro, who oversees mission. Lyrical Press, indicates the summary should be between one to A final tip comes from Vida. An author’s willingness and ability to two pages maximum, double-spaced. interact with readers is a critical aspect of marketing these days, Tips on getting the door to open especially for debut authors who need to develop a following. She advocates, at the very least, setting up an author website before Make sure the premise/hook of the mystery is unique. It shouldn’t sending in your query. They’re also looking for evidence of any resemble any book now on their list. Kensington’s concern is that existing platform you may have and social media savvy, including similar series will cannibalize readers, weakening sales for both a Facebook author page and Twitter account. Place this infor- respective authors. Not sure where to find this information? Their mation in your query letter’s biography paragraph. catalog is online and includes book blurbs. Take care to make the mystery stand apart from those at other presses, since this will be The decision-making process taken into account as well. Editors can champion whatever manuscript they like. They have At Kensington, multiple editors accept submissions in the same no constraints—freedom, remember, is part of Kensington’s cul- mystery categories. Send your manuscript to the one who might ture. But getting a thumbs-up from an editor is only the first step in be most inclined to like this sort of story and voice. Keep in mind the vetting process. submissions are a one-shot deal, and a pass by one editor means The next step is critical feedback from the greater Kensington a pass for the publisher. Agents make their living, in part, by rec- community. On Tuesday mornings, around 20 employees attend a ognizing editors’ idiosyncratic tastes. Don’t despair—you too can meeting to discuss possible acquisitions. Usually present are all acquire this insider knowledge in two ways. the editors and assistants, the CEO, members of the communica- John suggests reading through the acknowledgements of pub- tions department (at Kensington, marketing and publicity are lished Kensington books, noting any mention of their respective merged into one unit), the publisher, and the subrights director. editors. And no, you don’t have to buy dozens of books to find Continued on next page these particulars. Your local library and bookstore are great plac- First Draft Page 26

Kensington, continued After an editor presents a the author can bring to the carefully crafted pitch for your table, and how Kensington manuscript, her or his col- can support the author’s ef- leagues then fire off a barrage forts. of questions and the debate is About three months before on! Who’s the audience for the release date, contacts this book? What are the with the author’s communica- unique story hooks? How’s tions expert increase. At this the author qualified to write time, they begin setting up this particular story/hook? If events, pitching reviewers, you’ve published traditionally and scheduling interviews or or indie, the sales for your blog tours. Kensington has prior works will be analyzed. created a Google group for Communications will weigh in their authors where they can on the strength of an author’s connect and plan to cross- platform, brand, and market. promote their releases. Steven and Adam will carry Authors always receive out a Profit and Loss analysis. copies of ads and pro- The P & L also plays an im- Photos courtesy of Kensington Publishing motional design assets portant role in the type of con- CEO Steven Zacharius, bestselling so they can use them tract you’ll be offered. author Lisa Jackson, and editor-in- on their own digital plat- “Almost everything is read by chief John Scognamiglio. Right, forms or for other pro- multiple parties, often from Lyrical Press editor Martin Biro. motional purposes. The multiple departments [such as Communications De- Publicity and Sales], so we partment also assists have a full spectrum of perspectives before making an offer,” Mar- the writer with anything else book-related, even bookmark design tin said. and feedback on website redesign. You wrote a great story with a unique premise, set up author and Cozy authors, take note: Over the past year, Kensington has been social media sites, sent the manuscript to the appropriate editor, rolling out a campaign to promote this subgenre as a whole. Their and got an offer. Congratulations! goal is to build a stronger community around cozies, increasing readership, status, and reader awareness of the genre as a What kind of contract are you most likely to receive? Steven indi- whole. Some of their initiatives include the development of cates a two- or three-book deal is normally offered, and cozy mys- www.KensingtonCozies.com; in-store promotions and displays; tery is the subgenre where an unpublished author would currently purchase incentives; Cozy Club min-cons (a series of four region- have the best shot at landing a print contract. Martin goes on to al events that will take place annually); e-newsletters; giveaways; say, however, some of their established print authors write for and streaming radio, print, and social media ads. Lyrical in part to expand their audience and increase yearly output of titles. Kensington’s expectation is that authors also will help sell their books. Vida says an up-to-date website and some type of fan Advances are negotiated on print books. Digital books generally engagement package is required, whether that’s social media, a don’t receive advances, as is the industry norm, unless their au- blog e-newsletter, podcast, or all of the above. thors have a proven sales record. Print list royalties go out twice a year (May and November) and those for ebooks, every four Final note months. At the end of our interview, CEO Steven Zacharius wanted to Author support send an encouraging message to struggling writers. After all, one of their top-selling authors, Lisa Jackson, began her career in the Kensington employees tend to stay on for years, an industry rari- unagented trenches in the early 1980s when she succeeded in ty. Authors can look forward to working often with the same indi- self-submissions to Silhouette. Her first book with Kensington viduals for the duration of their contract(s). And this press takes appeared in 1994—an agented submission acquired by John, pride in another personal touch: you’ll work with the same editor who remains her editor up to the present. In 2000, more than 15 and team on a book from beginning to end. The editing support is years after her first book was published, the thriller If She Only exactly the same between print and ebook originals, John said. Knew (Kensington’s Zebra imprint) catapulted Lisa onto the best- Kensington tailors a publicity campaign to each book (print or digi- selling list, where she’s remained a frequent presence ever since. tal). Six months before a print book’s release, the author is con- Steven concludes, “The beauty of this business is there’s no way tacted by a publicity and marketing manager dedicated to their of telling how far a book can go.” books. They’ll discuss the campaign Kensington is planning, what First Draft Page 27

Lynn Cahoon: Success at Kensington by Eona Calli inC member Lynn Cahoon currently Lynn eventually obtained representa- S publishes three cozy series with Ken- tion in 2016, although “it wasn’t the sington. Contracts for two of them were contracts with Kensington that sent me achieved through self-submission. They’ve to seek an agent again. I felt comforta- done extremely well—Lynn’s a New York ble in negotiating and reading, inter- Times and USA Today bestselling author. preting the contract.” Interest from the film industry in one of her series Writing isn’t Lynn’s first career. During a brought her back to the agent quest; strenuous, year-long breast cancer treat- she wasn’t comfortable negotiating ment in 2007, she began to read cozies for those rights. This agent now does her the first time and fell in love with this sub- contract extensions and shopped a new genre. They had “just enough mystery to series (Farm to Fork farm-restaurant keep me from thinking about the current mysteries) for her last year, which they situation,” she says. She’d taken a few MFA sold—to Lyrical Press. classes and written some stories over a decade before, but says, “I came on the Her three cozy series have distinct writing bug during the year of cancer. I de- hooks, settings, and characters. They cided if there was no tomorrow, I wanted to share in common, Lynn says, a theme be a writer.” of building families, “Those you are actually related to and those you meet When her cancer went into remission, she that you share heartstrings.” She notes, started off by writing romances, “mostly unlike romances, her need for a large because I thought I could.” For several cast is embraced in this mystery years, she was busy learning the craft, en- subgenre. tering contests, looking for an agent, and, as she puts it, “building my career. One yes Lynn Cahoon and Incredibly, Lynn pens up to seven at a time.” her latest book. books and novellas a year while working full-time. She explains a The first publication yes came from the well-paying job and retirement magazine market: her short stories ap- plans keep her employed on two peared in confessionals and Woman’s World. Not receiving any fronts. I asked Lynn to share her such affirmations from agents, Lynn began self-submitting books magic discipline spell with the Gup- to publishers. In 2012, another huge yes came her way when she pies. She sets writing goals for the sold three books to three different romance digital publishers week, declares them and follows up (Crimson Romance; Lyrical, prior to its purchase by Kensington; to an accountability partner. The and Passion in Print). She continues to write romances under the plan, Lynn says, is to write 10,000 pen name of Lynn Collins and now self-publishes these works. words a week, spread out to 2,000 During this time, Lynn wrote a cozy mystery that was sent to mul- words a day. Sometimes, “life happens,” so she allows for flexibil- tiple agents without result. About to chuck this manuscript in des- ity, producing more on one day than another, and occasionally pair, in a cozy coincidence moment from real life, she found a taking seven days to achieve this objective. Writing is carried out card that said Kensington accepted unagented mystery manu- “in bits and pieces—before work, a break or two at work, maybe scripts. In 2013, she sent her manuscript to a Kensington editor lunchtime. Then I can sprint to the finish line at home.” who’d been a judge on an RWA chapter contest that Lynn orga- I asked Lynn what additional advice she could offer writers strug- nized. Within a few months, she had a contract offer for three gling to get on that first rung in this tough business. First, she books with Kensington’s digital first imprint, Lyrical Press. Lynn says, focus on achieving an immediate goal: “Reaching for that sent back a negotiation piece saying, “Yes, but…” Biting her nails next rung or step keeps me focused on the future and what I need all weekend long, she was “sure I’d thrown away the bird in the to do to get there.” Second, don’t walk by any open doors: “Never hand by having the balls to ask for something.” say never. I remember saying I’d never sell to a digital house. My The negotiations worked out and, she says, “I’m better at asking first sale was digital first.” Third, perseverance and courage mat- now.” In fact, after the Tourist Trap bookstore-cafe mysteries sold ter. “Finally, write a book. Then write another. Then another. Put well, Lynn approached Kensington with a proposal for a mass yourself out there. Say yes. Take risks. And when you look up? market print series. Cat Latimer hit the bookstands in 2016. A YA You might be in the right place at the right time.” author gets the house she lost in the divorce when her ex- You can read more about Lynn Cahoon and her books at husband dies. She opens a writers’ retreat in the little Colorado www.lynncahoon.com. town where she grew up. Mayhem follows! First Draft Page 28

Maine Crime Wave by Eva Holmes don’t have proof, but I’d bet A panel comparing self, in- I that Maine is pretty close to die, and traditional publish- the top of the list when it ing options came next. Au- comes to crime fiction writers thors William Andrews, Jen per capita. Blood, Sandra Neily, and Lea Wait shared the pros Maine Crime Wave, a two-day and cons of various forms of conference, has become an publishing. annual spring event in Portland, Maine. It was held June 1-2 this Now with Kensington, Lea year. The conference, a collabo- Wait has experienced ration between the New Eng- firsthand the contraction of land Mystery Writers of America the big publishing houses. and the Maine Writers and Pub- She cautioned that small lishers Association, features presses may have no distri- informative panels as well as bution and little marketing craft sessions taught by experts. support. Early bird registration, including William Andrews, who pub- lunch, costs about $100. Photo by Dale Phillips lishes with a small local Each year, MWPA recognizes a press, agreed that much of writer for his or her contribution Gerry Boyle, standing, moderated the panel with, from left, the marketing burden fell to to crime fiction. Last year, Main- Lea Wait, Jen Blood, Sandra Neily, and William Andrews. him. As a textbook author, er Tess Gerritsen was the hon- he was wined and dined by oree. This year, Douglas Pres- his publishers. Trying to sell ton and his editor, Millicent Bennett, were the guests of honor. his first novel was a rude surprise! Preston, a frequent contributor to National Geographic, writes Jen Blood’s first publishing experience was with a small press that fiction and nonfiction. His most recent book, City of the Monkey turned out to be just one guy, which meant she had to do quite a God, is the true story of uncovering a lost city deep in the jungle of bit of legwork on her own. Through that experience, she discov- Honduras. Preston joined the expedition as the official writer, bat- ered that she enjoyed the process of publishing, so she opted to tling deadly snakes, constant rain, and an incurable tropical dis- self-publish her next two series. ease, leishmaniasis. Sandra Neily also decided to take control by turning to a hybrid Preston’s adventure journalism informs his crime fiction. Partici- publisher. Winning the MWA Helen McCloy award persuaded pating in tomb openings in Egypt led to the novel Pharaoh King. agents to return her calls, but they were still scared off by the en- Research on the 200-year search for buccaneer’s booty on Oak vironmental themes of her novel. She hired her own editor and Island, Nova Scotia, inspired Rip Tide. Thunderhead, one of his paid a publishing house upfront to print and distribute her work. many collaborations with Lincoln Child, was based on an article I’ve only described two of the seven panels I attended, but I he wrote about cannibalism in the American Southwest. learned something at every single one and came out with about His editor, Millicent Bennett, also shared her insight into the writ- 20 additions to my reading list. I encourage any writer looking for ing business. As an executive editor at Grand Central Publishing, a fun event to consider the Maine Crime Wave next year. she receives 20 to 25 books per week, all agented—to fill just 12 slots per year. Surprisingly, it can be hard to hit that target. Voice is key for her. “I want to be in this world, with this character,” she Eva Holmes lives in Portland, Maine. said. After attending the Maine Crime Wave conference last year, she re- It’s not enough that Bennett loves the book. She likened success- discovered her love of writing and ful publication to mountain climbing. The manuscript must work its began her first mystery novel. When way up the hill, going from Bennett to her senior editor, then to she’s not at her day job, she enjoys marketing and sales, any of whom may veto the acquisition. Once canoe camping, road trips, and hikes the work gets to the top of the publishing house, it must summit without backpacks. the reviewers, then win over the bookstore owners and librarians to reach the final peak: getting into the hands of readers. First Draft Page 29

Guppies Around the Pond

Katherine Prairie signs her books at Limestone Genre Expo, a two-day event in May in Ontario, Canada.

Hank Phillippi Ryan signs her latest book, Trust Me, at BookExpo America, in New York City on May 30-June 1. Susan Van Kirk, center, sitting, talks to a book club in Macomb, Illinois, in March.

From left, Donna Andrews, Sherry Harris, Colleen Shogan, Kaye George takes part in the Oak Ridge Lavender Festival and Maya Corrigan at the Washington Writers Conference in June, selling her books at a booth sponsored by the on May 5. The four SinC members participated in a Women Authors Guild of Tennessee. of Crime panel. First Draft Page 30

Guppies Around the Pond

Guppy Astri Zidack, left, met up recently with Leslie Budewitz, who was promoting her newest book, As the Christmas Cookie Crumbles, part of the Food Lovers’ Village Mystery series, at This House of Books in Billings, Montana. Leslie also made several other appearances, including at Third Place Books in

Seattle, where she chatted with fans.

John Gordon, whose second Penny Summers mystery, Malice at the Manor, was published in May, attended an eight-day mystery writers’ workshop in Tuscany, Italy, led by Rhys Bowen, author of three mystery series.

Guppy Elections

uppy elections were held last month for three open member- packed schedule of classes to Guppies each year. She has also G at-large positions. The three elected members were: served on the Steering Committee as Membership Guppy. As E.B. Davis, her short stories have appeared online and in print. Micki Browning, who was the 2017 Chesapeake Crimes: Homicidal Holidays included “Compromised Dorothy Cannell Scholarship recipient. Circumstances.” The Carolina Crimes: 19 Tales of Lust, Love, Micki retired from law enforcement as a and Longing anthology contained “Ice Cream Allure,” and division commander (captain) after serv- “Wishing for Ignorance” was chosen for A Shaker of Margaritas: ing 22 years. She is a graduate of the FBI That Mysterious Woman. National Academy’s executive leadership program at Quantico. Since retiring, she Susan Van Kirk, a member of SinC for has penned two novels in the Mer Cavallo seven years and Guppies for five years. This Mysteries. She also writes short stories is her second term as member-at-large. For and nonfiction, and her work has ap- the past two years, she has been the Mem- peared in dive magazines, anthologies, bership Guppy. She has published four mystery magazines, and textbooks. books in the Endurance mystery series and a memoir called The Education of a Teacher Elaine Douts, who has been the Class (Including Dirty Books and Pointed Looks). Guppy for several years, bringing a First Draft Page 31

Writing Life: Navigating the Mushy Middle by Kia Johnson Dennis story idea strikes. The If you write romance, you can A words pour forth. It’s bril- introduce an unexpected love liant. Then, usually around the interest or have the current love middle, you stall. The words stop interest do something that jeop- coming. Your muse has broken ardizes the relationship. Chang- up with you! You don’t know ing some aspect of what you’ve where to take your characters already written may open up next. Maybe you’ve realized the new possibilities and get you story isn’t as interesting or out of that rut. doesn’t make as much sense as Skip around you thought. Maybe you’re just sick of the story. You may have You can’t see the next scene heard this phenomenon referred clearly but you know how your to as the “mushy middle.” protagonist is going to discover the killer, so write that scene. Mushy middles are a perennial Who said your manuscript has problem. Your instinct may be to to be written in a certain order? abandon the story altogether. Write the scenes you can see Before you cast your current clearly in your mind’s eye and story aside, consider some of come back to the scenes that the following methods for luring are more elusive. your muse back to your side. Photo by Nathan Dumlao / Unsplash Read Just sit down and write When I get really involved in a If you are like me, you hit the mushy middle and you stop writing new writing project a lot of other things fall to the wayside, includ- and start waiting for inspiration to strike again. Don’t wait, write! It ing reading. But reading has been one of the most reliable ways doesn’t have to be good, it might be downright ugly, but write that I’ve found to get past a particularly difficult point in a work in something. Write about what you did today or what you want to do progress. tomorrow. Write about your dream vacation. Rewrite something you’ve already written using a different POV character or with a You could choose to read something that is similar to what you change to the setting. Writing begets writing, even when you are are writing, analyzing it to see how the author achieved the ele- writing something unrelated to your current work in progress. May- ments you are struggling with. But I’ve found that reading for be you’ll shake loose a brilliant idea while rewriting your favorite pleasure is the best way to move my own writing out of the mushy chocolate cake recipe. middle. Losing yourself in a really good book helps get your own creative juices flowing again. Don’t limit yourself. Look to genres Take a break outside of the genre you are writing in. Inspiration can be found in OK, I know I just said to sit down and write, but sometimes your unlikely places. body and brain just need a rest. You might find it helpful to put Hopefully, one of the suggestions discussed in this article may your current work in progress aside and start something new (or work for you. Or maybe you need to combine suggestions to get return to the last thing you set aside). Or you may need to take motivated again. It is also possible something entirely different will some time off from writing altogether. Take a weekend, longer if get you going. These are just a few of the innumerable ways to need be. Get outside, see a movie, or call a friend just to chat (I’m get your story back on track. The important thing is to just keep talking to you, my fellow introverts). Give your characters time to writing! There may be a wonderful story under all that mush. figure out what they want to do next and they just might come back to you raring to go. Kia Johnson Dennis teaches legal writing Change something and legal discourse to foreign law students. A voracious reader and lifelong writ- I know you love what you have already written. It is sheer bril- er, she has published several academic liance and it works! Well, you’re stuck—so maybe not. Try chang- articles and is working on completing her ing something. Kill a different character, make a different charac- first mystery novel. She lives in the D.C. ter the killer, change the method of murder, or make an attempt area with her husband and two sons. on a different character’s life. (I’m not a sociopath, just a mystery writer.) The same concepts work regardless of the genre. First Draft Page 32

Planning a Book Fair by Debbie De Louise ooking for another way to promote event, one emailed me the morning of L my books as well as the books of the fair that he couldn’t attend due to fellow authors, I turned to a locale that an emergency. Rick had contacted a many authors overlook—church. different author who had just learned of the event and wanted to attend, so we St. Stephen’s Lutheran Church in Hicks- ended up with the same number of ville, New York, sponsored its first au- authors. thor fair on May 12. It took place in the social hall and featured nine local au- The afternoon proceeded with three thors, raffles, a church table with infor- authors speaking on the hour followed mation and giveaways, and refresh- by a short break in which people chat- ments. The raffle prizes—books—were ted with the authors at their tables, donated by the authors. Tickets were purchased autographed books, bought sold for $1 each or $5 for six. As an raffle tickets, and had refreshments. incentive for attendees to purchase The fair raised $221 for the Hicksville books, the authors had tickets at their Photo courtesy of Debbie De Louise Boys and Girls Club and was a nice tables that they distributed for free for opportunity for local authors to share each book they sold. Debbie De Louise at a local author fair she their work with readers. Although there Throughout the afternoon, authors planned. wasn’t a large turnout, it was decent for spoke about their writing and auto- the first fair. graphed books at their tables. The au- Advice from what I learned thors who participated write in a variety of genres from mystery to romance to children’s books and poetry. Some had published I learned much from my first experience organizing an author fair. many titles; others only one or two. There were self-published While there are many things you can’t have control over—such as authors as well as those who wrote for small or large publishers. the weather, an author who might get sick or cancel for an emergency at the last minute, a low turnout, etc.—there are things you Planning the fair can do to minimize these situations. The planning for the fair began in February when I suggested the When I sent out the confirmations for the authors to sign, I didn’t idea to Pastor Emily Trubey-Weller and then presented it to Rick ask for their cell numbers. I later had to send an email asking for Mosebach, director of Inreach/Outreach ministry. They liked the this before the event to make sure I could contact them on the day concept of an author fair at the church. I contacted the Long Is- of the event. Another mistake I made was scheduling the fair on land Authors Group, of which I’m a member, and asked a few the weekend of Mother’s Day. I had hoped people would attend to other local authors I knew; some contacted St. Stephens after the purchase books for their mothers, but it was the day before and church secretary sent notices to other churches. There were more many people were already spending time with their families. than 20 responses but, as the deadline approached, only eight authors were able to commit. Counting me, that made nine au- After the event, I sent a survey to the authors for feedback about thors. their experiences and any suggestions if we held the event again. Another survey was sent to the people who attended but only Rick suggested I create a program brochure, and I thought a tri- those who were members of the church because we didn’t ask for fold would work. We designed it together and felt the final product contact information for those who came to the fair. I believe we came out well. It featured the event schedule as well as photos, should’ve given out both surveys on the day of the event, as we bios, and a book cover supplied by each author. To advertise the didn’t get many responses to the ones emailed afterward. event, we sent press releases to local newspapers. I placed flyers in the library where I work, and announcements were mailed to local churches. Debbie De Louise is a reference Even though Rick and I did most of the work, we still needed help librarian at a Long Island public with a few tasks. Pastor Emily ran our request for volunteers in the library. She is a member of Interna- newsletter and church bulletin. She also mentioned it at masses. tional Thriller Writers, Sisters in A few people came forward. One church member shopped for the Crime, the Long Island Authors tablecloths; two helped set up. A teenage member assisted au- Group, and the Cat Writer’s Associ- ation. Her novels include the three thors by carrying their books down to the social hall. A parishioner books of the Cobble Cove cozy brought a crumb cake. Another, who couldn’t attend because of a mystery series and her latest trip, dropped off bakery cookies, and I contributed a fruit bowl. standalone mystery, Reason to Die. As with all planning, things usually go awry at the last minute. Debbie’s website and blog is locat- While all the authors replied to my reminder two days before the ed at https://debbiedelouise.com. First Draft Page 33

Calendar of Events: Conferences and Workshops July 10-14 mal. Keynote speeches: Jamie Freveletti and Keith R.A. DeCan- ThrillerFest XIII, New York City, NY dido; local guests: E.A. Aymar and John Dedakis. Annual conference of the International Thriller Writers, featuring www.creaturescrimesandcreativity.com ATF workshop, Master CraftFest, CraftFest, PitchFest, and more. Lineup includes 2018 ThrillerMaster George R.R. Martin, and Oct. 19-21 2018 Silver Bullet Recipient James Rollins. http://thrillerfest.com Magna Cum Murder XXIV, Indianapolis, IN Conference for fans and authors. Guest of honor: Reavis Z. July 12-15 Wortham; international guest of honor: Peter Lovesey. Public Safety Writers Association Conference, Las Vegas, NV http://cms.bsu.edu/academics/centersandinstitutes/ebball/ Conference open to anyone writing crime fiction or nonfiction, magnacummurder technical writing for public safety magazines, or anyone interested in writing. http://policewriter.com/wordpress/conference Nov. 9-11 New England Crime Bake, Dedham, MA July 18-22 The premier conference for writers and fans in New England. Theakston Old Peculier Crime Writing Festival, Harrogate, UK Guest of honor: Walter Mosley. http://crimebake.org Special guests: Don Winslow, Linwood Barclay, Laura Lippman, Nicci French, and John Grisham. 2019 http://harrogateinternationalfestivals.com/crime March 14-17 Aug. 2-5 SleuthFest, Boca Raton, FL Cape Cod Writers Center Conference, Hyannis, MA Details not yet available. http://sleuthfest.com Workshops on fiction, nonfiction, screenwriting, poetry, mysteries and thrillers, social media, and more. Keynote speaker: Hank March 28-31 Phillippi Ryan. http://capecodwriterscenter.org/conference-2 Left Coast Crime 2019, Vancouver, Canada American guest of honor: C.J. Box; Canadian guest of honor: Aug. 9-12 Maureen Jennings; toastmaster: Cathy Ace; fan guests of honor: Writers’ Police Academy, Green Bay, WI Don and Jen Longmuir; local legend: William Deverell; lifetime A hands-on experience for writers wanting to enhance their un- achievement: Sue Grafton. www.leftcoastcrime.org/2019 derstanding of all aspects of law enforcement, firefighting, EMS, and forensics. Guest of honor: Jeffery Deaver. Special guest May 3-5 speaker: Carrie Stuart Parks. www.writerspoliceacademy.com Malice Domestic, Bethesda, MD Guest of honor: Donna Andrews; toastmaster: Chris Gra- Aug. 23-26 benstein; lifetime achievement: Parnell Hall; fan guest of honor: Killer Nashville, Franklin, TN P.J. Coldren; Malice remembers; Sue Feder. Panels, manuscript critiques, and networking parties. Special http://malicedomestic.org/index.html guests: Ellery Adams, J.A. Konrath, Otto Penzler, Jeffery Deaver, and Anne Perry. https://killernashville.com Oct. 31-Nov. 3 Bouchercon, Dallas, TX Sept. 6-9 Distinguished contribution to the genre award: James Patterson; Bouchercon, St. Petersburg, FL lifetime achievement: Peter Lovesey; American guest of honor: American guests of honor: Karin Slaughter and Sean Chercover; Hank Phillippi Ryan; local guest of honor: Deborah Crombie; fan international guests of honor: Sara Blaedel and Mark Billingham; guest of honor: McKenna Jordan; toastmaster: Harry Hunsicker. toastmaster: Lisa Unger; Florida guest of honor: Tim Dorsey; http://bouchercon2019.com lifetime achievement: Ian Rankin; fan guests of honor: Judy Bobalik and Ayo Onatade, Ghost of honor: John D. MacDonald. 2020 www.Bouchercon2018.com March 12-15 Sept. 27-30 Left Coast Crime, San Diego, CA Book Passage Mystery Writers Conference, Corte Madera, CA Guests of honor: Rachel Howzell Hall and T. Jefferson Parker; Editors, agents, and publishers share with participants what they toastmaster: Matt Coyle; fan guest of honor: Mysterious Galaxy. need to know to get published. Faculty includes authors John http://leftcoastcrime.org/2020 Lescroart, Michael Connelly, and Cara Black. https://www.bookpassage.com/mystery Oct. 15-18 Bouchercon, Sacramento, CA Oct. 5-7 Special guest of honor: Scott Turow; exemplary body of work: Creatures, Crimes & Creativity, Columbia, MD Walter Mosley; distinguished guest of honor: Anne Perry; local Conference for readers and writers of all genre fiction, including guest of honor: Cara Black; fan guest of honor: Janet A. Ru- mystery, suspense, thriller, horror, sci-fi, fantasy, and paranor- dolph; toastmaster: Catriona McPherson. bouchercon2020.org