December Berkley Prime Crime Line-up

Here are some great new December releases from Berkley!!!


The Christmas Cookie Killer

Livia J. Washburn

Reprint - Originally published in Trade Paperback

Phyllis Newsom stands a good chance in the Christmas cookie contest with her snowflake-shaped lime sugar cookies. But Mrs. Simmons' gingerdoodles might give her a run for her money—until she's found strangled in a pile of cookies. With many on Santa's naughty suspect list, this case is a cookie Phyllis means to crumble...

(A Fresh-Baked Mystery #3)
Obsidian, November 2009
ISBN-10: 0451226666
ISBN-13: 9780451226662
272 pages Paperback (reprint)
$6.99

~::~

Decked with Folly

Kate Kingsbury

Make room for murder with all the trimmings in the latest of the Pennyfoot Hotel Christmas mystery series.

It's the holiday season and the Pennyfoot staff is brimming with anticipation. The scents of the season overflow from the kitchen and the country club's halls are decorated with festive displays thanks to Cecily's dear friend Madeline. But when one of Cecily's candlesticks disappears, she realizes someone is lacking in Christmas spirit.

Petty thievery seems the least of Cecily's problems after she learns a former employee has been found dead in her duck pond. He hasn't worked at the Pennyfoot in years, but his ex-wife is still their head maid—and now she heads the list of suspects. And when Madeline has a vision of more misfortune to come, Cecily starts feeling more jinxed than jolly. Now a killer and a thief must be taken off the guest list in order to put the merry back into Christmas.

(A Special Pennyfoot Hotel Mystery)
Berkley Trade, November 2009
ISBN-10: 0425230015
ISBN-13: 9780425230015
304 pages Trade Size
$14.00

Editor's Note: I have been meaning to check these Kate Kingsbury mysteries out for a while... this and the next are both Christmas mysteries!

~::~

Ringing In Murder

Kate Kingsbury

Originally published in Trade Paperback

This season, Cecily has a surprise for her guests: gorgeous Christmas crackers handmade for the Pennyfoot. But when a mysterious fire breaks out in an upstairs room, it kills the Christmas mood—and two guests. Now Cecily's dead-set on solving this mystery before another deadly present turns up.

(A Special Pennyfoot Hotel Mystery)
Berkley (Prime Crime), November 2009
ISBN-10: 0425231208
ISBN-13: 9780425231203
256 pages Paperback (reprint)
$6.99

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Mrs. Jeffries & the Yuletide Weddings

Emily Brightwell

Upper Edmonton Gardens looks forward to a jolly Christmas, until one humbug sings of murder—in Mrs. Jeffries's 26th mystery.

'Tis the week before Christmas, and all through the house, every creature is stirring...

But just as Inspector Witherspoon's staff prepares for the long-awaited wedding of Betsy and Smythe, a Yuletide murder falls in the Inspector's lap.

A middle-aged spinster has been killed in what her murderer hoped would look like a random crime. But the Inspector's investigation reveals a web of lies, intrigue, and long-buried secrets. With uncooperative witnesses, sulking relatives, and a second Christmas wedding, a simple investigation seems unlikely. And the household will have to put aside its holiday spirit to save the Inspector's reputation.

(A Victorian Mystery #26)
Berkley, November 2009
ISBN-10: 0425230465
ISBN-13: 9780425230466
272 pages Hardcover
$23.95

**Editor's Note... Betty and Smythe are finally getting married? I'll have to read this one!! Great very fun series.

Have any of you read these, or any other by these authors? Do tell us about them! I have read several of the Mrs. Jeffries historical mysteries and they are light, entertaining and great fun. Not deep in any sense, but good solid murder mystery entertainment.

How to write a Holiday Mystery

*Editor's note: We have a special treat today. Maggie Sefton, author of Berkley Prime Crime's Knitting Mystery series is celebrating the paperback edition of her bestselling 'Fleece Navidad' and is here today to give us a little insight into writing the holiday-themed mystery. Please welcome her kindly and enjoy!!

HOLIDAY MYSTERIES—WARM AND FUZZY OR CHILLY?
by Maggie Sefton - Author of Fleece Navidad

When my publisher asked me to write a Holiday-themed mystery for my Knitting Mystery series, I knew I had a problem. The series, featuring 30-something corporate refugee, Kelly Flynn, is set in a college town in northern Colorado and has many scenes in Kelly’s favorite knitting shop where her friends gather around the knitting table to socialize, hash out problems, and work on their fiber projects. In the previous five books in the series, I deliberately used those “warm and fuzzy” scenes to allow Kelly to sort through all the information and clues she uncovers when she’s investigating a murder. “Sleuthing,” as her friends call it.

It should be pointed out that Kelly is not a cop, nor a private eye, nor a lawyer. She’s a CPA and has absolutely no business messing in murder. But---she can’t help herself. She can’t resist a puzzle. And solving a murder is an irresistible challenge. Kelly’s analytical mind goes on automatic. Having been a CPA myself, it really is almost automatic. We simply have to analyze a problem, weigh and measure, and—here’s the key—look for things that don’t belong.

Whether it’s on a balance sheet or in searching for clues, Kelly naturally picks up details that others do not, even police officers. That makes for a confrontational relationship between Kelly and the Fort Connor Chief of Detectives. Kelly’s convinced he’s never forgiven her for finding her aunt’s killer—the real killer—the one who strangled her aunt in her cozy cottage across from the knitting shop. Kelly proved the cops had the wrong guy in jail.

So, what’s the problem?

Well, I knew that many of the readers would be expecting more than the usual warm and fuzzies in this book simply because it’s set during the entire month of December. They would want “holiday” warm and fuzzies—scenes of hectic preparations, shopping, characters knitting mittens, and holiday parties. I even found the perfect holiday title for the book: FLEECE NAVIDAD.

The problem is I just can’t have the characters sitting around wrapping presents and drinking wassail. I have to kill someone. After all, that’s what I do. I kill people on paper for a living. So a body has to hit the floor. And my problem was how to insert that in the midst of all the holiday cheer.

I finally decided that I would “play off” the crime scene talk and Kelly’s sleuthing against the holiday cheer, deliberately putting them together in the same scenes. Warm and chilly. And with the help of some fascinating new characters who walked to center stage for this book, it was easy.

To me, it’s all about the characters, and these two people exhibited charming and attractive sides of their personalities as well as darker sides. And since both these women had opposing goals, they clashed. Accusations began to fly and scandals from the past came out. And I deliberately chose to have it all happen right there at the knitting table, crowded with shop regulars knitting charity hats, mittens for disadvantaged children, as well as holiday gifts. The normally congenial atmosphere disappears. People choose sides and argue. Loudly. In fact, it gets so acrimonious one afternoon that the normally-cheerful shop owner, Mimi, throws everyone out into the cold.

Add to that, the victim is a librarian. Gasp! How could I do that? Librarians are my favorite people. And to make it worse, Juliette, had found love for the first time. To think someone could run into her one night then drive away and leave Juliette to bleed and die alone in the dark. . . how heartless.

We novelists are a cruel lot. We kill all sorts of people—nice sweet people and nasty mean brutes. We do not discriminate. And Juliette was the perfect victim. Of course, the plot definitely thickens when police discover that her death was not accidental, but deliberate. Someone lay in wait for Juliette to appear that night in her beautiful Christmas cape.

Kelly has her hands full trying to unravel this puzzle. On top of that, Kelly tries to keep the peace between two spinster sisters who’re at odds with one another. The fractious arguments around the knitting table are taking their toll on relationships.

Before I knew it, there was plenty of contrast for the holiday warm and fuzzies. And just to make sure the temperature didn’t get too chilly, I allowed Kelly and Jennifer to get in touch with the holidays—up close and personal. They’re recruited to oversee the Saint Mark’s Catholic Church’s Christmas Eve Nativity Pageant, complete with a cast of surly thirteen-year olds. The original leader was poor Juliette, our librarian victim. So Kelly and Jennifer—the two lapsed Catholics in the group—take over the job.

They soon discover this project will require more than their usual organizational skills. Let’s put it this way--Joseph is wired into his iPod, the shepherds are texting, and Mary has a nose ring.
However you choose to celebrate the holidays, enjoy!


Maggie Sefton is the New York Times Bestselling author of the Knitting Mystery Series, published by Berkley Prime Crime and set in Colorado. The paperback edition of last year’s hardcover Barnes & Noble Bestseller, FLEECE NAVIDAD, was released November 3rd. It’s available in bookstores, specialty shops, and online. Visit her at her website: http://www.maggiesefton.com. Visit Maggie’s blogsite at http://www.cozychicksblog.com.

(Article previously published in Mystery Readers Journal).

Mystery Miscellany

News Release - December 9th, 2009

Mystery Writers of America - Dorothy Gilman, author of the tremendously fun Mrs. Pollifax series, has been named this year's Grand Master, kind of a lifetime achievement award.

Read all about it!

Dorothy Gilman - Mystery Writers of America 2009 Grand Master!


Just a note to tell those of you who don't know about Berkley's Prime Crime webpage... have a look! I love how it's laid out. Just looking at some of the covers make me drool! You can search by sub-genre, which is nice. I love that they have categories for animal lovers, culinary, even hobbies! I want books for Christmas!!!

Berkley's Prime Crime books!

If you haven't already, sign up for the newsletter!

And remember to come back tomorrow for the wonderful piece on 'how to write a holiday mystery' by Maggie Sefton, author of the Knitting Mysteries!

Santa Clawed by Rita Mae Brown - Review

*Editor's Note: Welcome Ariel Heart once again and her review of a fun holiday-themed mystery. I have to say, I have read many of the Mrs. Murphy/Sneaky Pie Brown mysteries, and though I started reading them with some enthusiasm, I have not been able to finish the last couple I've tried, even one I received as a gift from someone who knows I love mysteries and cats! Ariel's review has made me reconsider, and I may try this one as, in addition to loving mysteries and cats, I love holiday themed books! Enjoy!!

Santa Clawed

Author: Rita Mae Brown

Copyright: Nov 2008 (Bantam); 288 pgs.

Series: #17 in Mrs. Murphy mysteries

Sensuality: N/A but adult themes

Mystery sub-genre: Cozy

Main Character: Harry Haristeen, former postmistress now farmer with her tiger-stripped cat Mrs. Murphy, gray cat Pewter and Corgi dog Tucker

Setting: Crozet, Virginia – Holiday season

Obtained book through: Library Find

If you love animal cozy mysteries, then the NY Times Best-selling Mrs. Murphy mysteries are a must. The series is dubbed after Mrs. Murphy, Harry’s tiger-stripped cat who runs the house. The books are even touted as being co-written by Sneaky Pie, Rita Mae’s cat so you get the full animal viewpoint during the stories.

Harry has recently married the local equine vet, Fair and is now a full time farmer. This installment is set during the holidays so eloquently portrayed by Miss Brown. Harry and her new hubby go tree shopping at The Brother’s of Love Tree Farm, only to find their perfect tree is already decorated with a dead body of a brother. Harry had gone to High School with the dead monk, Christopher Hewitt. She felt he was really turning his life around after being released from jail, and then his throat was slit and a Greek coin, an obol, placed in his mouth. Harry is rather shaken by the murder and begins investigating, again aided by her three pets. Soon, Brother Christopher is not the only murder victim – all with their throats slit and an obol in their mouths - and the usually bright holidays have a fearful pall fall over the town.

This story is a wonderful read, the characterization is finely done and the town richly brought to life with its myriad delightful characters. Rita Mae’s characteristic animal viewpoints are spot on and often laugh-out-loud funny. You actually start to wonder if Rita Mae doesn’t actually hear her animals for real to be able to write them so convincingly. The story is character driven and yet sports a solid mystery plot with a few surprises along the way. There is not one area I could think of that could be done better. Don’t let the multiple deaths deceive you, this book will still put you in a bright holiday mood. This is one of the best cozy mysteries around and I highly recommend it.

As Harry Haristeen walked across the large quad to the great hall, her two cats and corgi behind her, she wondered if people today could build as securely as our forefathers did. Seemed like things were built to fall apart. Grateful that she lived in an old farmhouse built about the same time as the church, she paused on her way to the work party long enough to make a snowball and throw it up in the air.

Tucker, the corgi, jumped up to catch it. As she did, the snowball chilled her teeth, so she dropped it.

“Dumb!” Pewter, the portly gray cat, laughed.

"I knew it would do that, but if she throws a ball, I have to catch it. That’s my job,” Tucker defended herself.

Harry decided to sprint the last two hundred yards to warm up.

The tiger cat, Mrs. Murphy, shot past her. The shoveled walkway was covered with inches of fresh snow but easily negotiable.

Pewter, hating to be outdone, couldn’t get around Harry so she leapt onto the snow, where she promptly sank.

Tucker, trotting on the path, called out, “Dumb.”…

Upon entering the great hall, Harry inhaled the fragrance of oak burning in the two fireplaces, one at either end. The aroma of a well-tended fire added to winter’s allure. Harry loved all the seasons. Winter’s purity appealed to her. She loved being able to see the spine of the land, loved popping into a friend’s house for hot chocolate or serving the same. Born and raised here, she was buoyed up by close friendships. People might feel alienated in big cities, but she couldn’t imagine that emotion. Tied to the land, the people and animals that inhabited it, Harry knew she was a lucky soul.

I highly recommend this book. It has a good balance and is well written providing suspense, tens

ion, humor and even the holiday spirit in one package. By the end of the book, you will feel as though you have actually spent time in the small town of Crozet and have gotten to know some wonderful people.

Five out of Five Cozy Armchairs!

Ariel
About the reviewer:

A.F. Heart

http://www.mysterysuspence.blogspot.com/

Ms. Heart is a Colorado gal who does not like snow but loves the low bug population. She has been told she was an odd child for playing Cleopatra with her Barbies and dressing up her poodle. She is taking that active imagination and writing her first novel. She shares her writing progress (and much more) on her blog “Mysteries and My Musings.”

It's That Time of Year

If you actually sang the title of this entry, then you are in full-blown holiday mode, and so am I! Oh, I still have work to do... lots and lots of work. But I'm in the spirit.

And whatever you celebrate, whether it be:

Hanukkah - Begins sundown, Friday, December 11th thru the next 8 days.

Islamic New Year - December 18th

First Day of Winter - December 21st.

Christmas - December 25th

Kwanzaa - December 26th, thru January 1st

New Year's Eve - December 31st

I hope you enjoy the season, whatever it means to you.

And in that spirit, tomorrow I have a review of a Christmas-themed mystery - Santa Clawed by Rita Mae Brown, and Friday, a special treat, an article on writing the holiday-themed mystery by Maggie Sefton, author of the New York times bestselling Knitting Mysteries!

Enjoy all, and don't drink too much eggnog!

Q&A with Sue Ann Jaffarian - Part 2

*Welcome, readers, to Part 2 of Sue Ann Jaffarian's Q&A with Cozy Murder Mysteries. Let's get right down to business!

CMM - You have a great quote from Camryn Manheim (love her on Ghost Whisperer) about your Odelia Grey books: "I wish I'd had Odelia Grey as my paralegal when I was on The Practice. Gutsy, smart, and loveable, she is the perfect take-no-prisoners heroine for today's woman." Camryn Manheim How did that come about? Did you approach her, or do you know her?

SAJ - I have not had the pleasure of meeting Camryn Manheim personally. My dream was to get a blurb from her, so I hunted down her contact information and asked her if she’d do it. She was so gracious to consent and gave me such a fabulous blurb.

CMM - Reviews are a mixed blessing for most authors; we love the good ones, hate the bad ones, and know they are just one person’s opinion. How do you deal with negative reviews? Do you even read reviews?

SAJ - I read all reviews, even reader reviews on Amazon and Goodreads. Of course, I rejoice in the good ones, but I do not let the bad ones bother me. As you said, they are just one person’s opinion, and the good ones definitely outweigh the negative reviews. There have been many books I haven’t enjoyed that others have raved about, so I understand that my books may be subject to similar opposing views. It’s all a matter of personal taste.

One thing, though, I really wish readers would think twice before posting really tacky and/or hateful reviews anywhere on any book. If you don’t like a book, say so and say why in an intelligent, well-thought out manner. It doesn’t help anyone when reviewers think they’re being cute by being vicious. Those folks have no idea what goes into producing a book. If they did, they would use better judgment.

CMM - You do a lot of personal appearances. Have you had any funny/touching/interesting encounters with readers?

SAJ - My readers ROCK! I can’t begin to tell you the e-mails, snail mail, even gifts I’ve received from readers from all over. But I think the funniest encounter was when I was waiting in a line at a book conference and a reader tried to pitch me my own book. Seriously! I didn’t have my name tag on and she obviously thought that I, as a fat woman of a certain age, should read the Odelia Grey novels. She went on and on about how much I’d enjoy the books until someone pointed out to her who I was. She just about died of embarrassment. Then we laughed and hugged. I’ve run into her since and we still laugh over it.

On the touching side, I get a lot of e-mails from readers who tell me that having such a positive plus-size heroine makes them feel better about themselves. That’s golden.

CMM - As a paralegal yourself, do real life stories ever make a veiled appearance in your novels?

SAJ - No, never. What I do as a paralegal would put my readers to sleep in a nano-second. Trust me. I do infuse some of the details of my job into Odelia’s day at the office, but never base any of the plots on cases or matters I’ve been involved with in my position as a paralegal. What I make up is soooooo much more entertaining. Besides, a lot of folks at my office read my books, including many of the attorneys. It wouldn’t do for them to see office issues in the books, even if veiled over.

CMM - What do you read? Any favorite authors?

SAJ - I have so many favorite authors and so little time to read. I try not to read books similar to my own, especially while deep into a manuscript. Favorites include Walter Mosley, Diana Gabaldon, Naomi Hirahara, Jan Burke, John Morgan Wilson, Eric Stone, Terry McMillan, Amy Tan, John Irving, Lisa Scottline, Lee Child. (How much space do we have?) And I love discovering new authors.

CMM - Thank you so much, Sue Ann, for taking this time to be with us at Cozy Murder Mysteries.

SAJ - THANK YOU!!! And if any of your readers would like to sign up for my e-mail newsletter, Hotflashes, they should drop me an e-mail with Add Me in the subject line. My e-mail address is sue@sueannjaffarian.com.

Find Sue Ann at: http://www.sueannjaffarian.com/

Q&A with Sue Ann Jaffarian - Part 1

*Welcome, Cozy Murder Mysteries readers, to a wonderful Q&A with cozy murder mystery author Sue Ann Jaffarian, author of the Odelia Grey and Ghost of Granny Apples mystery series... as well as a new one she will announce here. Make her welcome, and after Part 2, on Friday, I'll provide an email link to sign up for her newsletter!

CMM - First, Sue Ann, thank you so much for taking the time to do this. I very much appreciate it!

Tell us a little about your Odelia Grey and Ghost of Granny Apples series?

Odelia Grey is a plus size, middle-aged paralegal living and working in Newport Beach, CA, with a penchant for getting into trouble. She quirky, funny, and often cranky with a very big heart. No matter how often she says she’ll never get involved with another murder, she just can’t say no when people ask for her help. She’s also surrounded by a colorful and nutty cast of characters that include her husband Greg, who is in a wheelchair, best friends Zee and Seth Washington, and boss Mike Steele, an arrogant SOB of an attorney. They have dubbed her “the corpse magnet” but love sticking their noses into trouble right along with Odelia. Rounding out the group is detective Dev Frye who is constantly trying to keep Odelia and her posse out of trouble. The 5^th Odelia Grey novel, Corpse on the Cob, will be out February 2010.

The Ghost of Granny Apples mysteries feature the living/dead sleuthing duo of Emma Whitecastle, a divorced mom living in Pasadena who has recently discovered she can hear and see ghosts, and Granny Apples, the 100+ year old pioneer ghost of Emma’s cantankerous great-great-great grandmother. In the first book in the series, Ghost a la Mode, Emma meets Granny for the first time, and sets out to prove that Granny did not kill her husband, for which Granny was hanged. Most of Ghost a la Mode takes place in the town of Julian, CA, a real former gold rush town in Southern California. In subsequent books, Granny and Emma look into the long-forgotten murders of other ghosts. You might say The Ghost of Granny Apples mystery series is a cross between Ghost Whisperer/Cold Case/Topper.

Ghost a la Mode was released September 2009 and the 2^nd book in the series will be out September 2010. Unfortunately, the title for book #2 is still up in the air with my publisher, but it opens on Catalina Island.

And the big news is I am working on a third mystery series. It is scheduled for release in the fall of 2011 and will involve the sleuthing team of Doug and Dodi Dedham, a retired couple who just happen to be vampires. The working title for this book is I Could Bite You Forever.

CMM - How do you create characters that can/will sustain a series of books? Do you know everything about them going in, or does that come bit by bit as you write the books?

It’s a combination of knowing and learning as you go. To sustain a series, the characters have to come alive on the page, both the good guys and the bad guys, and grow with each book. Unless, of course, you kill them off! I usually start with an idea for a character and jot down a few paragraphs about their back story that include their age, physical appearance, occupation, education level, family background, specific quirks, and general outlook on life. After the foundation is set and I’m weaving them into the book, they start talking to me and I learn who they really are, warts and all. As I discover new things about the characters, I update my character list so I have it as a reference for later books. As nutty as it sounds, the characters do talk to me, and they are stubborn and won’t always behave as I’d like, but I’ve learned that if I let them lead, the book is the better for it.

CMM - I just love your writing advice, “Don't let anyone, I mean anyone, pee on your parade!” Any other words of wisdom for would-be writers?

Keep your butt in the chair and keep plugging. Writing takes a lot of persistence and commitment, and going through the publishing process requires a lot of patience. Don’t be discouraged, but also be realistic. If you have dreams of making it big with your first novel, you will be very disappointed. It’s a tough business and it takes time and several successful books under your belt to establish a solid writing career. Also, be open to criticism. Know that when agents or editors are giving you advice on your work, it’s to help you, not to hurt you. A writer who cannot take constructive criticism of his/her work is doomed.

CMM - Do you have a favorite place to write: office, library, under the stars? Under the stairs?

My best place to write is at my desk at home. It’s very messy and usually has a cat draped across it. The other cat likes to sleep on my feet while I work. It’s not fancy and doesn’t come with designer coffee, but I can work in my jammies and clean my bathroom or vacuum during breaks in the writing. When on the road, I travel with an Alpha Smart, a portable word processor. It’s very lightweight and low-tech and I love it. I can work anywhere with it without needing to plug it in or worry about the batteries going dead. It’s perfect for writing on long plane rides. But I find when I try to work anywhere but at home, my attention wanders too much and I’m not as productive.

CMM - You have created a plus-sized heroine for your Odelia Grey series; how does her size impact how she sees/experiences the world? Are you plus-sized? BTW, One thing that’s always irritated me is that people perceive plus-sized people as being not only unfit, but lazy. Is Odelia intended to combat the image, or is being plus-sized just one small aspect to her character?

I am a fat, middle-aged paralegal just like Odelia, but without the arrogant boss (mine’s lovely) and a nose for corpses. And, yes, being big does influence how Odelia sees the world as she has been molded by her experiences, both positive and negative, as we all are. In the first Odelia Grey novel, the reader is introduced to an Odelia who hasn’t been beaten down by the negativity towards her size, but isn’t as self-assured as she is in later books. As the story in Too Big To Miss develops, we see her gain confidence and step up to take her place in the world, but with no apologies. I didn’t create Odelia to combat the negative image of fat people, but to shine a light on the positive. And, as the books go on, there is less of a need for Odelia to prove herself in all her plus size glory, and the people around her (and the readers) accept her for who she is – bright, funny and accomplished. And isn’t that really what we all want?

*Editor's note... That's all for now, but Part 2 of Sue Ann's wonderful Q and A is coming up on Friday! Check back!

Coming soon...

Just a note to tell you that the wonderful and gracious Sue Ann Jaffarian has kindly answered many Qs with fabulous As, So come one back tomorrow for Part 1 of Cozy Murder Mysteries' Q&A with Sue Ann Jaffarian, author of the wonderful Odelia Grey and new Granny Apples mystery series.

Don't miss it!

MysteryNet... have you joined?

Some days I think the internet has ruined life as I used to know it... the leisurely morning coffee with the newspaper, the radio giving me the local weather before I set out for the day, the sweet oblivion of not knowing what was going on in Hollywood stars' daily lives. It was a more insular, locally-based world, where my city was the most important locale of my life.

But then, I wasn't a published author then. Publication and the internet kind of bisected for me, both happening in my home, coincidentally, around the same time.

And now? Ten years or so later? Now I wonder how we all - as writers and readers - survived without the internet. And the medium is still morphing daily, changing, growing, becoming more pervasive, in a sense. I read my local newspaper online now, with my coffee, at my desk then check the weather and local radar - online - before starting work - at the same desk on the same computer.

One of the best things about it is finding new places that you love, and this one is new to me. Or... I think I may have been there, but I certainly did not take advantage of all the wonderful facets of MysteryNet.com.

At MysteryNet.com you can read short stories, solve daily 'Get-a-Clue' mysteries or monthly 'Solve-Its', look up every Nancy Drew book ever published, join in the forums or read members' short mystery stories and interact. You can even sign up to have a mini-mystery delivered to your email box!! How is it after more than ten years of being on the Internet I'm still finding new-to-me places? Especially about a topic I'm so passionate about as murder mysteries?

So, for those interested, here is the link!

Happy Thanksgiving!

Happy Thanksgiving to all our American friends,
from your northern pals!

Poll Dance Wednesday results.

How much - or how little - violence do you like in your cozy murder mystery?

Blood and guts don’t bother me… bring on the gore!	2 (20%)
I’m not fond of violence, but it’s part of a murder mystery.	1 (10%)
I don’t need to see how the victim dies, and no autopsy please!	3 (30%)
It really depends on the author’s style and the plot.	4 (40%)

Do you Tweet?

Social networking is now a necessity for writers, but for readers it seems to be more about community, and meeting in cyberspace people who like the same things you do, and want to talk about them. Every interest, no matter how esoteric, has a community, it seems, from hot-air ballooning to origami to sinus-sufferers.

But how is it working for you? Do you blog, do you twitter? Do you stumble, stagger or shelfari? Ten years ago I wouldn't know what the heck I was talking about if I said 'blog' and 'twitter', but now, along with Facebook, MySpace, Digg, Technorati, StumbleUpon and a million other social networking tools and sites, the internet is a bewildering forest of social networking trees... so how do you tell a spruce from a fir? How do you know which will work for you?

No... I don't have any advice, I'm asking!

Do you - any of you in the murder mystery reading and writing community - have tips on what works for you? Do you have a community to which you belong? Do certain social networking sites or methods find pages for you that you have stayed with?

I'm wondering in part because as a reader, I visit several sites and blogs daily or every few days, and as a writer I blog, comment, read and follow many other blogs.
I'm curious about ones other find compelling or informative.

I'm also curious about how your choices in reading matter are informed or changed by social networking. Do you read author posts? Does an author's online presence change how you view him or her? Do you just look for books on amazon.com, or use publishing house newsletters? SYKM? The 'Cozy Mystery List' blog?

What works for you? Inquiring minds want to know.

Death of a Turkey - Review

*Editor's Note: I don't know about anyone else, but I love holiday themed books, both romances and mysteries. Christmas isn't Christmas without a stack of Christmas Regency anthologies and Christmas cozy murder mysteries by my side. Getting to read them during the busiest time of years is sometimes another thing. Thanksgiving presents a dilemma, though, as Canadian Thanksgiving is a good month-and-a-half earlier than the American one. But it's a festive time of year, and I'll celebrate twice! Here, for all to enjoy, is a review of Death of a Turkey... enjoy!

Death of a Turkey

Author: Kate Borden

Copyright: 2005 (Berkley); 224 pgs.

Series: #3 in Peggy Jean Turner Mystery Series

Sensuality: N/A

Main Character: Peggy Jean (PJ) Turner, Mayor of Cobb’s Landing and proprietor of Tom’s Tools.

Setting: Cobb's Landing, a small New England town.

PJ is anticipating her favorite holiday, Thanksgiving. The house across the street from PJ is rented out to an angry woman named Prunella Post who seems to be PJ’s nemesis from the moment she arrived in town. Max, the wealthy financier who turned the economically failing Cobb’s Landing into a colonial-themed tourist town, has decided to turn Thanksgiving into a tourist day with a reenactment. To top it off, Chief of Police Stu McIntyre is coming back to town from time off, but first he needs PJ to tell his impossible mother that he is engaged and bringing his fiancée. The fiancée is hiding a dark past and somehow the obnoxious Prunella knows about it. Prunella Post is then found dead in the town square with a Turkey skewer sticking out of her – just like the kind PJ sells in her store.

PJ is a stronger female main character than many I have read and I liked that. She is an easy to like amateur sleuth who remains very close to her best friend from the age of two, Lavinia, who lives behind her and has a son who is PJ’s son’s best friend. The cozy factor is high in this series and that may appeal to some more than others, so beware. The very small town of Cobb’s Landing nicely comes to life to with details and its own past. The murderer and means were not difficult to deduce after enough information is revealed; it is the journey that is the story.

“The temperature had warmed to slightly above freezing, reducing the once glorious snow to crusty patches on lawns. The air was still, laced with a hint of bone-chilling fog. Peggy felt the damp of the wet concrete sidewalk seep through the soles of her boots and wished she’d worn her thick-soled running shoes. Too late to go back and change. She picked up the pace to keep the blood circulating in her slowly numbing toes. Buster trotted happily alongside, stopping occasionally to sniff a tree or leave his own mark – the canine equivalent of writing his name in the snow.”

The writing style is easy going and highlights PJ’s personality and outlook. All the subplots wrap up nicely for an overall enjoyable story and it seems to move along well without dragging. The deep friendship between PJ and Lavinia is well developed and a strong point of the book. If you enjoy your cozy mysteries for the entire cadre of characters becoming your family, as much if not more than the mystery itself, then this series is for you. If you want to delve into the Thanksgiving season before rushing headlong into Christmas, this book will put you into the turkey-day frame of mind.

Three-and-a-half armchairs out of five.

Ariel
About the reviewer:

A.F. Heart

http://www.mysterysuspence.blogspot.com/

Ms. Heart is a Colorado gal who does not like snow but loves the low bug population. She has been told she was an odd child for playing Cleopatra with her Barbies and dressing up her poodle. She is taking that active imagination and writing her first novel. She shares her writing progress (and much more) on her blog “Mysteries and My Musings.”

Poll Dance Wednesday and Cryptograms!!

Wednesday... hump day, dreary, middle of the week yuck day.

Or fun day!

As well as a new poll, I also have a cryptogram puzzle for you to work out. The dates are the clues.

Wednesday, November 4th: JEVMIAS PFMWI XS UVRE UESVR

Friday, November 13th: LJR XMP PFAXEDBCM XS UAFEVSW FEBR

Tuesday, November 17th: A UABR EG MWGALKALMEW XS D. B. PAPRF

Anyone know the answers? No prize, but a big 'boy, are you smart!' to the first correct answer!

Hint... the key is the same for each of the three puzzles.

Okay, now here are the poll results for last week's poll... don't forget to vote in the new poll!

Poll results: Romance in cozy murder mysteries.

No way, none of that mushy stuff for me! Stick to the death and mayhem.	1 (6%)
Yeah, baby, bring on the kissin' and huggin' and cuddlin'!	4 (26%)
I'm on the fence... and it hurts! Dang barbed wire.	1 (6%)
Only if it's done well and doesn't overwhelm the murder part!	9 (60%)

Why I Write Mysteries - W. S. Gager

*Editor's Note: Welcome W. S. (Wendy) Gager today to the irregular Tuesday 'Why I Write Mysteries' column. I identify with her 'why' in part because I, too, imagine things when I'm out and about. Ideas lurk around every corner, as you'll find when you read on. Enjoy!

Why I Write Mysteries

by: W. S. Gager

I have always loved getting lost within the pages of a book, any book. Books fed my own imagination. I always imagined myself as an innocent bystander pulled into some type of intrigue. I, of course, would manage to solve the mystery without the help of the professionals by sheer brainpower alone. That being said, I am no genius, just filled with a fanciful imagination that can picture intrigue around any corner.

Such as:

• A car in front of you is moving slowly because they are looking for a likely place to dump a body and are hoping you pass them and they can get on with it.
  
• A woman is looking frantic at the grocery store and instead of just not having enough time, she is looking for the one clue that will save her husband who is being held by terrorists.
  
• A large pile of leaves along the curb begins to move slowly and out pops a man covered in blood left for dead.

These are the crazy things that I think of as I go about my “normal day.” If people only knew, they would cross the street as they come across me or shield their children from my eyes. Lucky for me, they have to buy a book to see how my crazy brain works. In my debut novel, A Case of Infatuation, crime beat reporter Mitch Malone is hoodwinked into helping a small witness escape from the scene of the crime and ends up babysitting, much to his dismay. He must use his reporting skills to get rid of his baggage and win his freedom.

I have always been a voracious reader having read nearly every fiction book in my middle school library (It was a small library). I had a whole set of Nancy Drews at home and they were the ones I pulled out when my library stash was finished and it was a weekend. As I got older, I started reading romance. Figured it would be best to write romance as a first book. After several attempts, I finally finished a full story. I gave my first finished manuscript to a woman in my writer’s group to critic. I will never forget her first words. She reached over and grabbed my hand (mainly so I couldn’t run away). “Honey, you are not a romance writer, you’re a mystery writer. “ I was crushed but thought about what she said and I loved writing the mystery part of my book and struggled with the romantic elements. (My kissing scenes were so bad they were funny!)

That book has never seen the light of day and probably never will because I had so much to learn. But I always will think fondly of it because a mystery writer was born within its pages.

W.S. Gager
A Case of Infatuation-Now Available

Author Bio

W.S. Gager has lived in West Michigan for most of her life except for stints early in her career as a newspaper reporter and editor. Now she enjoys creating villains instead of crossing police lines to get the story. She teaches English at a local college and is a soccer chauffeur for her children. During her driving time she spins webs of intrigue for Mitch Malone's next crime-solving adventure.

http://www.wsgager.com

facebook: wsgager

Purchase the book today:
http://www.oaktreebooks.com

Managing Multiple Viewpoints in a Cozy

*Editor's note: The technical side of writing is something most non-writing readers don't even consider, and unfortunately, too many writers don't consider it either! Here is an interesting behind-the-scenes peek at how one writing duo handles writing multiple viewpoints.

Managing Multiple Viewpoints in a Cozy Mystery

by: Carolyn Rose

One reason I’ve forgotten most of my high school math is that I’ve had to apply so little of it (except for balancing my checkbook, figuring square yardage for carpet, and computing miles per gallon).

But when my husband and I sat down to plot The Big Grabowski, we got a refresher course in the concepts of direct and inverse proportion. With every character we created and tossed into the mix, the plot became more complex and the page count grew. (That’s direct proportion.)

After a few days of brainstorming, it became obvious that this was a book where planning and coordination would be critical to completion. The less work we put in before we got to our keyboards, the more difficult and frustrating the writing process would be. (That’s inverse proportion.) Too much flying by the seats of our collective pants could doom the mission.

So, in addition to the fictional greedy developer we killed off at the beginning of The Big Grabowski, we also sacrificed several hundred index cards. Avid recyclers and the proud owners of two working compost heaps, we didn’t do that without pangs of conscience. But it seemed the only logical way to develop characters and character arcs, keep track of action, and litter the tale with red herrings without getting sidetracked and then stuck in a plotting cul-de-sac.

To allow readers to get to know the suspects better and to give them that smug feeling of knowing things the protagonist didn’t, we created fifteen viewpoint characters in addition to our sleuth. Those fifteen are presented in third persons points of view, while amateur sleuth Molly Donovan speaks in first person. If we’d asked the experts, chances are we would have been warned off, told that we had too many viewpoints, and assured that readers would be confused.

But we didn’t ask. And, in “texting talk,” as we named and developed our characters, we became BFF (Best Friends Forever) with each of them. We found we couldn’t silence a single one, although we did discover that some wouldn’t shut up and others had to be coaxed into talking.

So we forged ahead, using 5x7 index cards to list character attributes—physical descriptions, traits, turns of phrase, and attitudes. 3x5 cards, each labeled with the name of the viewpoint character for that particular scene, listed setting, action, and outcome.

Using the cards allowed us to generate ideas individually and as a team. And, because we knew we’d winnow them later, the sky was the limit when it came to what might happen in the fictional town of Devil’s Harbor, Oregon.

We stashed the 3x5 cards in a plastic recipe box for safekeeping until we felt we’d exhausted our imaginations. Then we laid them out on the dining room table so we could see the big picture.

To my delight, this served two purposes—it allowed us to see all of the events and recognize what was missing, and it made a sit-down dinner impossible. That, in turn, made the process of cooking said dinner pointless. And that made me one happy, dialing-for-take-out, camper.

We laid out the order of scenes for Molly first, then worked the others in around that. By using cards, we were able to recognize when a character hadn’t appeared for a long stretch, or was popping up far too often. We were also able to see where we needed more foundation for specific scenes or where we needed to plant clues and suspicions.

When we had that together, we separated the action into chapters and then created a master calendar, establishing time and date for each scene. That calendar became the roadmap that made the journey less daunting and more manageable.

The calendar enabled us to write from milepost to milepost, scene to scene. Instead of looking ahead hundreds of pages to the final destination—the ending—we were peering down that empty literary road only a few pages at a time. And at the end of that few pages was another character waiting to hitch a ride or, as characters sometimes do around the middle of a book, try to slide behind the wheel and take over.

The system worked so well we used it for the second book in the Devil’s Harbor series (due out in 2010). Last month we went all out, bought cards in a variety of colors, and began plotting a third mystery. We’re not ready to lay those cards down yet, but I’m already collecting take-out menus.

~::~

Carolyn J. Rose grew up in New York’s Catskill Mountains, graduated from the University of Arizona, logged two years in Arkansas with Volunteers in Service to America, and spent 25 years as a television news researcher, writer, producer, and assignment editor in Arkansas, New Mexico, Oregon, and Washington. Her hobbies are reading, gardening, and not cooking.

In addition to The Big Grabowski, she has authored two mysteries with her husband, and three on her own. A sequel to The Big Grabowski will be released in 2010 through Krill Press and a mainstream mystery, Hemlock Lake, will be published by Five Star.

To find Carolyn on the 'net, go to:

Krill Press - http://www.krillpress.com

Deadly Duo Mysteries: http://www.deadlyduomysteries.com