tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-991002492394662952024-03-12T21:54:52.968-07:00another draughtWriting about Country Gals with AttitudeLesley Diehlhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10552765934908042306noreply@blogger.comBlogger84125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-99100249239466295.post-68621215605716256702014-03-25T13:09:00.001-07:002014-03-25T13:09:57.341-07:00I've moved!It was a long time coming, but I've had my website redone, and I've moved my blog there. Please visit me at <b>www.lesleyadiehl.com/blog/ </b>and read about my newest book. You're gonna like what you see there.<br />
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LesleyLesley Diehlhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10552765934908042306noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-99100249239466295.post-30060653506915328492013-12-14T14:14:00.000-08:002013-12-14T14:14:35.968-08:00Don't tell her relatives what she does<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
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Here's one of the funniest writers in the business. She's sometimes called the Canadian Evanovich. And killing people is what she does best.</div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Author Melodie Campbell<br />
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<span style="text-align: center;">KILLING PEOPLE IS WHAT I DO</span><br />
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<span lang="EN-CA">By Melodie Campbell<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-CA">“Why would you ever want to write about
murder?” said the horrified relative.
“Why not write a nice little romance?”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-CA">Why indeed?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-CA">As I quickly added another relative to kill
in my next book (you would be shocked how often that happens….) it occurred to
me that there were many reasons to write about murder.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<!--[if !supportLists]--><span lang="EN-CA">1.<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 7pt;">
</span></span><!--[endif]--><span lang="EN-CA"> It’s the challenge of creating the clever
puzzle. Plotting a mystery is like
playing a chess game. You always have to
think several moves ahead. Your reader
is begging you to challenge them, and is working to beat you – meaning to guess
the killer before your detective does - to the end.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<!--[if !supportLists]--><span lang="EN-CA">2.<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 7pt;">
</span></span><!--[endif]--><span lang="EN-CA">It’s plot driven. Murder mysteries start with action – a murder. Yes, characterization is important, and
particularly motivation. But murder is
by nature an action, and thus <b><i>something happens</i></b> in the book you
are writing. And quite often, it happens
again and again.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<!--[if !supportLists]--><span lang="EN-CA">3.<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 7pt;">
</span></span><!--[endif]--><span lang="EN-CA">It’s important. This is murder, after all. We’re not talking about a simple threat or
theft. A lot is at stake. Murder is the final act. The worst that can happen. The end of it all.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<!--[if !supportLists]--><span lang="EN-CA">4.<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 7pt;">
</span></span><!--[endif]--><span lang="EN-CA">It’s a place to put all your darkest
fantasies. There are a few people I’ve
wanted to kill in my life. They <i>did me wrong</i>. <b><i> </i></b>And while I do have a bit of a
reputation for recklessness, I value my freedom more. So what I can’t do in reality, I relish doing
in fiction.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<!--[if !supportLists]--><span lang="EN-CA">5.<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 7pt;">
</span></span><!--[endif]--><span lang="EN-CA">Finally – it’s <b><i>fun.</i></b>
This is the part I don’t say in mixed company (meaning non-writers and
relatives.) I can’t explain exactly why
it’s fun – you’ll have to trust me on this part. But plotting to do away with characters in
highly original ways is a real power trip.
I’m smiling just thinking about it.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-CA">Of course, I can
understand where some of the relative angst comes from. In A PURSE TO DIE FOR, a gathering of
relatives for a funeral results in the death of one or two. It was entirely accidental, that use of
relatives. Honest. I wasn’t thinking of anyone in particular.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-CA"> Not much I wasn’t.</span><b><i><span lang="EN-CA" style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-CA;"> <o:p></o:p></span></i></b></div>
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<i><span lang="EN-CA" style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-CA;">(You can follow Melodie at </span></i><span lang="EN-CA"><a href="http://www.melodiecampbell.com/"><i><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-CA;">www.melodiecampbell.com</span></i></a></span><i><span lang="EN-CA" style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-CA;">)<o:p></o:p></span></i></div>
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<b><i><span lang="EN-CA" style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-CA;">A PURSE
TO DIE FOR</span></i></b><span lang="EN-CA" style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-CA;"> <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-CA" style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-CA;">By
Melodie Campbell and Cynthia St-Pierre<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-CA" style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-CA;">What’s
more treacherous than navigating a pack of society matrons at a designer sale? <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-CA" style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-CA;">Stalking
a killer…<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b><i><span lang="EN-CA" style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-CA;">Top 100 Mystery, Amazon.com, Jan. 2013!<o:p></o:p></span></i></b></div>
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<span lang="EN-CA">Amazon <a href="http://www.amazon.com/A-Purse-Die-For-ebook/dp/B008IKA022">http://www.amazon.com/A-Purse-Die-For-ebook/dp/B008IKA022</a><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b><span lang="EN-CA" style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-CA;">And now
on: <o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
<span lang="EN-CA" style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN-CA; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><a href="https://itunes.apple.com/gb/book/a-purse-to-die-for/id720386892?mt=11"><b><span style="color: blue; font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-CA;">iTunes </span></b></a></span><span lang="EN-CA" style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN-CA; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-CA;"><br />
</span><span lang="EN-CA" style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN-CA; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><a href="http://store.kobobooks.com/en-US/ebook/a-purse-to-die-for"><b><span style="color: blue; font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-CA;">Kobo</span></b></a></span><span lang="EN-CA" style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN-CA; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-CA;"><br />
<b><u><span style="color: blue;">Nook</span></u> <i> </i></b></span><br />
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Lesley Diehlhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10552765934908042306noreply@blogger.com17tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-99100249239466295.post-76849852604795769132013-10-03T14:58:00.001-07:002013-10-03T14:58:46.535-07:00The New Gal is Here!She's here. Eve Appel, my newest protagonist made her appearance on September 15 in a release from Camel Press entitled <em>A Secondhand Murder</em>. Here's a bit about her:<br />
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<span style="color: black; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt;">Spunky
and outspoken Eve Appel moves from Connecticut to rural Florida intent on
starting a new life, free of drama, and more importantly, her soon-to-be
ex-husband. </span><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt;">The
rural Florida town of Sabal Bay, situated only an hour from West Palm,
proves to be the perfect spot for her consignment store<span style="color: red;">. </span><span style="color: black;">Thanks to the recent
economic downturn, Florida’s society matrons need a place to discreetly sell
their stuff and pick up expensive-looking bargains. But Eve’s life, and her
business with it, is turned upside down when a wealthy customer is found
stabbed to death in a fitting room. <o:p></o:p></span></span><br />
<span style="color: black; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">As accusations fly and business slows, Eve
decides to take things into her own hands. With the help of an unlikely bunch
of friends—including her estranged ex, her best friend,<b> </b>a handsome
private eye, and a charming mafia don—she struggles to find answers and save
lives. Through a maze of distorted half-truths, dramatic cover-ups, and
unrequited passions, Eve learns just how far the wealthy will go to regain what
they have lost.</span><br />
<span style="color: black; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;"></span><br />
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If you want to learn more about her and me, I'm on tour for the months of October and November. Below is a list of places I'll be visiting:</div>
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<span style="color: #555555; font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif"; font-size: 9pt;">1. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<a href="http://www.linkytools.com/click_linky.aspx?entryid=6606442" target="_blank" title="Linked to: http://hotchpotching.wordpress.com"><span style="color: #ad7439; font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif"; font-size: 11.5pt; text-decoration: none; text-underline: none;">10/01 ~ Review @ Hotchpotch</span></a><span style="color: #555555; font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif"; font-size: 11.5pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #555555; font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif"; font-size: 9pt;">2. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<a href="http://www.linkytools.com/click_linky.aspx?entryid=6605679" target="_blank" title="Linked to: lauries-interviews.blogspot.com"><span style="color: #ad7439; font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif"; font-size: 11.5pt; text-decoration: none; text-underline: none;">10/02 ~ Interview & Showcase @
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<span style="color: #555555; font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif"; font-size: 9pt;">3. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #555555; font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif"; font-size: 9pt;">4. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<a href="http://www.linkytools.com/click_linky.aspx?entryid=6606451" target="_blank" title="Linked to: http://www.brookeblogs.com"><span style="color: #ad7439; font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif"; font-size: 11.5pt; text-decoration: none; text-underline: none;">10/04 ~ Review, Guest Post &
Giveaway @ Brooke Blogs</span></a><span style="color: #555555; font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif"; font-size: 11.5pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
</td>
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<tr style="mso-yfti-irow: 4;">
<td style="background-color: transparent; border: rgb(0, 0, 0); padding: 0.75pt;" valign="top">
<div align="right" class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; mso-element-anchor-horizontal: column; mso-element-anchor-vertical: paragraph; mso-element-frame-hspace: 2.25pt; mso-element-wrap: around; mso-element: frame; mso-height-rule: exactly; text-align: right; vertical-align: top;">
<span style="color: #555555; font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif"; font-size: 9pt;">5. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; mso-element-anchor-horizontal: column; mso-element-anchor-vertical: paragraph; mso-element-frame-hspace: 2.25pt; mso-element-wrap: around; mso-element: frame; mso-height-rule: exactly; vertical-align: top;">
<a href="http://www.linkytools.com/click_linky.aspx?entryid=6606457" target="_blank" title="Linked to: http://wall-to-wall-books.blogspot.com/"><span style="color: #ad7439; font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif"; font-size: 11.5pt; text-decoration: none; text-underline: none;">10/07 ~ Review & Giveaway @
Wall-to-Wall books</span></a><span style="color: #555555; font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif"; font-size: 11.5pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
</td>
</tr>
<tr style="mso-yfti-irow: 5;">
<td style="background-color: transparent; border: rgb(0, 0, 0); padding: 0.75pt;" valign="top">
<div align="right" class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; mso-element-anchor-horizontal: column; mso-element-anchor-vertical: paragraph; mso-element-frame-hspace: 2.25pt; mso-element-wrap: around; mso-element: frame; mso-height-rule: exactly; text-align: right; vertical-align: top;">
<span style="color: #555555; font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif"; font-size: 9pt;">6. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; mso-element-anchor-horizontal: column; mso-element-anchor-vertical: paragraph; mso-element-frame-hspace: 2.25pt; mso-element-wrap: around; mso-element: frame; mso-height-rule: exactly; vertical-align: top;">
<a href="http://www.linkytools.com/click_linky.aspx?entryid=6606462" target="_blank" title="Linked to: http://www.goodreads.com/user/show/3356446-carol "><span style="color: #ad7439; font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif"; font-size: 11.5pt; text-decoration: none; text-underline: none;">10/08 ~ Review by Carol Wong</span></a><span style="color: #555555; font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif"; font-size: 11.5pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
</td>
</tr>
<tr style="mso-yfti-irow: 6;">
<td style="background-color: transparent; border: rgb(0, 0, 0); padding: 0.75pt;" valign="top">
<div align="right" class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; mso-element-anchor-horizontal: column; mso-element-anchor-vertical: paragraph; mso-element-frame-hspace: 2.25pt; mso-element-wrap: around; mso-element: frame; mso-height-rule: exactly; text-align: right; vertical-align: top;">
<span style="color: #555555; font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif"; font-size: 9pt;">7. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; mso-element-anchor-horizontal: column; mso-element-anchor-vertical: paragraph; mso-element-frame-hspace: 2.25pt; mso-element-wrap: around; mso-element: frame; mso-height-rule: exactly; vertical-align: top;">
<a href="http://www.linkytools.com/click_linky.aspx?entryid=6606466" target="_blank" title="Linked to: http://communitybookstop.blogspot.com/"><span style="color: #ad7439; font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif"; font-size: 11.5pt; text-decoration: none; text-underline: none;">10/09 ~ Review @ Community Bookstop</span></a><span style="color: #555555; font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif"; font-size: 11.5pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
</td>
</tr>
<tr style="mso-yfti-irow: 7;">
<td style="background-color: transparent; border: rgb(0, 0, 0); padding: 0.75pt;" valign="top">
<div align="right" class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; mso-element-anchor-horizontal: column; mso-element-anchor-vertical: paragraph; mso-element-frame-hspace: 2.25pt; mso-element-wrap: around; mso-element: frame; mso-height-rule: exactly; text-align: right; vertical-align: top;">
<span style="color: #555555; font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif"; font-size: 9pt;">8. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; mso-element-anchor-horizontal: column; mso-element-anchor-vertical: paragraph; mso-element-frame-hspace: 2.25pt; mso-element-wrap: around; mso-element: frame; mso-height-rule: exactly; vertical-align: top;">
<a href="http://www.linkytools.com/click_linky.aspx?entryid=6606468" target="_blank" title="Linked to: http://www.omnimystery.com/omnimystery.html"><span style="color: #ad7439; font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif"; font-size: 11.5pt; text-decoration: none; text-underline: none;">10/10 ~ Guest Post @ Omnimystery </span></a><span style="color: #555555; font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif"; font-size: 11.5pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
</td>
</tr>
<tr style="mso-yfti-irow: 8;">
<td style="background-color: transparent; border: rgb(0, 0, 0); padding: 0.75pt;" valign="top">
<div align="right" class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; mso-element-anchor-horizontal: column; mso-element-anchor-vertical: paragraph; mso-element-frame-hspace: 2.25pt; mso-element-wrap: around; mso-element: frame; mso-height-rule: exactly; text-align: right; vertical-align: top;">
<span style="color: #555555; font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif"; font-size: 9pt;">9. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; mso-element-anchor-horizontal: column; mso-element-anchor-vertical: paragraph; mso-element-frame-hspace: 2.25pt; mso-element-wrap: around; mso-element: frame; mso-height-rule: exactly; vertical-align: top;">
<a href="http://www.linkytools.com/click_linky.aspx?entryid=6607117" target="_blank" title="Linked to: http://www.drpepperdiva.wordpress.com"><span style="color: #ad7439; font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif"; font-size: 11.5pt; text-decoration: none; text-underline: none;">10/11 ~ Review & Giveaway @ Dr.
Pepper Diva</span></a><span style="color: #555555; font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif"; font-size: 11.5pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
</td>
</tr>
<tr style="mso-yfti-irow: 9;">
<td style="background-color: transparent; border: rgb(0, 0, 0); padding: 0.75pt;" valign="top">
<div align="right" class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; mso-element-anchor-horizontal: column; mso-element-anchor-vertical: paragraph; mso-element-frame-hspace: 2.25pt; mso-element-wrap: around; mso-element: frame; mso-height-rule: exactly; text-align: right; vertical-align: top;">
<span style="color: #555555; font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif"; font-size: 9pt;">10. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; mso-element-anchor-horizontal: column; mso-element-anchor-vertical: paragraph; mso-element-frame-hspace: 2.25pt; mso-element-wrap: around; mso-element: frame; mso-height-rule: exactly; vertical-align: top;">
<a href="http://www.linkytools.com/click_linky.aspx?entryid=6606475" target="_blank" title="Linked to: http://www.book2buzz.blogspot.com"><span style="color: #ad7439; font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif"; font-size: 11.5pt; text-decoration: none; text-underline: none;">10/14 ~ Review, Interview &
Giveaway @ Book2Buzz</span></a><span style="color: #555555; font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif"; font-size: 11.5pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
</td>
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<tr style="mso-yfti-irow: 10;">
<td style="background-color: transparent; border: rgb(0, 0, 0); padding: 0.75pt;" valign="top">
<div align="right" class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; mso-element-anchor-horizontal: column; mso-element-anchor-vertical: paragraph; mso-element-frame-hspace: 2.25pt; mso-element-wrap: around; mso-element: frame; mso-height-rule: exactly; text-align: right; vertical-align: top;">
<span style="color: #555555; font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif"; font-size: 9pt;">11. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; mso-element-anchor-horizontal: column; mso-element-anchor-vertical: paragraph; mso-element-frame-hspace: 2.25pt; mso-element-wrap: around; mso-element: frame; mso-height-rule: exactly; vertical-align: top;">
<a href="http://www.linkytools.com/click_linky.aspx?entryid=6606476" target="_blank" title="Linked to: http://2kidsandtiredbooks.blogspot.com"><span style="color: #ad7439; font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif"; font-size: 11.5pt; text-decoration: none; text-underline: none;">10/15 ~ Review @ 2 Kids and Tired
Books</span></a><span style="color: #555555; font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif"; font-size: 11.5pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
</td>
</tr>
<tr style="mso-yfti-irow: 11;">
<td style="background-color: transparent; border: rgb(0, 0, 0); padding: 0.75pt;" valign="top">
<div align="right" class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; mso-element-anchor-horizontal: column; mso-element-anchor-vertical: paragraph; mso-element-frame-hspace: 2.25pt; mso-element-wrap: around; mso-element: frame; mso-height-rule: exactly; text-align: right; vertical-align: top;">
<span style="color: #555555; font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif"; font-size: 9pt;">12. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; mso-element-anchor-horizontal: column; mso-element-anchor-vertical: paragraph; mso-element-frame-hspace: 2.25pt; mso-element-wrap: around; mso-element: frame; mso-height-rule: exactly; vertical-align: top;">
<a href="http://www.linkytools.com/click_linky.aspx?entryid=6606478" target="_blank" title="Linked to: http://bethartfromtheheart.blogspot.com"><span style="color: #ad7439; font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif"; font-size: 11.5pt; text-decoration: none; text-underline: none;">10/16 ~ Review & Giveaway @
Beth Art From the Heart</span></a><span style="color: #555555; font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif"; font-size: 11.5pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
</td>
</tr>
<tr style="mso-yfti-irow: 12;">
<td style="background-color: transparent; border: rgb(0, 0, 0); padding: 0.75pt;" valign="top">
<div align="right" class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; mso-element-anchor-horizontal: column; mso-element-anchor-vertical: paragraph; mso-element-frame-hspace: 2.25pt; mso-element-wrap: around; mso-element: frame; mso-height-rule: exactly; text-align: right; vertical-align: top;">
<span style="color: #555555; font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif"; font-size: 9pt;">13. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; mso-element-anchor-horizontal: column; mso-element-anchor-vertical: paragraph; mso-element-frame-hspace: 2.25pt; mso-element-wrap: around; mso-element: frame; mso-height-rule: exactly; vertical-align: top;">
<a href="http://www.linkytools.com/click_linky.aspx?entryid=6606774" target="_blank" title="Linked to: anovelreview.blogspot.com/"><span style="color: #ad7439; font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif"; font-size: 11.5pt; text-decoration: none; text-underline: none;">10/17 ~ Review & Giveaway @ A
Novel Review</span></a><span style="color: #555555; font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif"; font-size: 11.5pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
</td>
</tr>
<tr style="mso-yfti-irow: 13;">
<td style="background-color: transparent; border: rgb(0, 0, 0); padding: 0.75pt;" valign="top">
<div align="right" class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; mso-element-anchor-horizontal: column; mso-element-anchor-vertical: paragraph; mso-element-frame-hspace: 2.25pt; mso-element-wrap: around; mso-element: frame; mso-height-rule: exactly; text-align: right; vertical-align: top;">
<span style="color: #555555; font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif"; font-size: 9pt;">14. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; mso-element-anchor-horizontal: column; mso-element-anchor-vertical: paragraph; mso-element-frame-hspace: 2.25pt; mso-element-wrap: around; mso-element: frame; mso-height-rule: exactly; vertical-align: top;">
<a href="http://www.linkytools.com/click_linky.aspx?entryid=6637408" target="_blank" title="Linked to: http://www.krittersramblings.com"><span style="color: #ad7439; font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif"; font-size: 11.5pt; text-decoration: none; text-underline: none;">10/18 ~ Review @ Kritters Ramblings</span></a><span style="color: #555555; font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif"; font-size: 11.5pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
</td>
</tr>
<tr style="mso-yfti-irow: 14;">
<td style="background-color: transparent; border: rgb(0, 0, 0); padding: 0.75pt;" valign="top">
<div align="right" class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; mso-element-anchor-horizontal: column; mso-element-anchor-vertical: paragraph; mso-element-frame-hspace: 2.25pt; mso-element-wrap: around; mso-element: frame; mso-height-rule: exactly; text-align: right; vertical-align: top;">
<span style="color: #555555; font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif"; font-size: 9pt;">15. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; mso-element-anchor-horizontal: column; mso-element-anchor-vertical: paragraph; mso-element-frame-hspace: 2.25pt; mso-element-wrap: around; mso-element: frame; mso-height-rule: exactly; vertical-align: top;">
<a href="http://www.linkytools.com/click_linky.aspx?entryid=6637416" target="_blank" title="Linked to: http://thepenmuse.net/"><span style="color: #ad7439; font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif"; font-size: 11.5pt; text-decoration: none; text-underline: none;">10/20 ~ Guest Post @ The Pen Muse</span></a><span style="color: #555555; font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif"; font-size: 11.5pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
</td>
</tr>
<tr style="mso-yfti-irow: 15;">
<td style="background-color: transparent; border: rgb(0, 0, 0); padding: 0.75pt;" valign="top">
<div align="right" class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; mso-element-anchor-horizontal: column; mso-element-anchor-vertical: paragraph; mso-element-frame-hspace: 2.25pt; mso-element-wrap: around; mso-element: frame; mso-height-rule: exactly; text-align: right; vertical-align: top;">
<span style="color: #555555; font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif"; font-size: 9pt;">16. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; mso-element-anchor-horizontal: column; mso-element-anchor-vertical: paragraph; mso-element-frame-hspace: 2.25pt; mso-element-wrap: around; mso-element: frame; mso-height-rule: exactly; vertical-align: top;">
<a href="http://www.linkytools.com/click_linky.aspx?entryid=6610700" target="_blank" title="Linked to: http://www.hezzi-dsbooksandcooks.com"><span style="color: #ad7439; font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif"; font-size: 11.5pt; text-decoration: none; text-underline: none;">10/21 ~ Review @ Hezzi-Ds Books and
Cooks</span></a><span style="color: #555555; font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif"; font-size: 11.5pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
</td>
</tr>
<tr style="mso-yfti-irow: 16;">
<td style="background-color: transparent; border: rgb(0, 0, 0); padding: 0.75pt;" valign="top">
<div align="right" class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; mso-element-anchor-horizontal: column; mso-element-anchor-vertical: paragraph; mso-element-frame-hspace: 2.25pt; mso-element-wrap: around; mso-element: frame; mso-height-rule: exactly; text-align: right; vertical-align: top;">
<span style="color: #555555; font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif"; font-size: 9pt;">17. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; mso-element-anchor-horizontal: column; mso-element-anchor-vertical: paragraph; mso-element-frame-hspace: 2.25pt; mso-element-wrap: around; mso-element: frame; mso-height-rule: exactly; vertical-align: top;">
<a href="http://www.linkytools.com/click_linky.aspx?entryid=6616431" target="_blank" title="Linked to: http://cmashlovestoread.com"><span style="color: #ad7439; font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif"; font-size: 11.5pt; text-decoration: none; text-underline: none;">10/22 ~ Showcase @ CMash Reads</span></a><span style="color: #555555; font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif"; font-size: 11.5pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
</td>
</tr>
<tr style="mso-yfti-irow: 17;">
<td style="background-color: transparent; border: rgb(0, 0, 0); padding: 0.75pt;" valign="top">
<div align="right" class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; mso-element-anchor-horizontal: column; mso-element-anchor-vertical: paragraph; mso-element-frame-hspace: 2.25pt; mso-element-wrap: around; mso-element: frame; mso-height-rule: exactly; text-align: right; vertical-align: top;">
<span style="color: #555555; font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif"; font-size: 9pt;">18. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; mso-element-anchor-horizontal: column; mso-element-anchor-vertical: paragraph; mso-element-frame-hspace: 2.25pt; mso-element-wrap: around; mso-element: frame; mso-height-rule: exactly; vertical-align: top;">
<a href="http://www.linkytools.com/click_linky.aspx?entryid=6606482" target="_blank" title="Linked to: http://www.bookdilettante.blogspot.com/"><span style="color: #ad7439; font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif"; font-size: 11.5pt; text-decoration: none; text-underline: none;">10/23 ~ Review & Giveaway @
Book Dilettante </span></a><span style="color: #555555; font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif"; font-size: 11.5pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
</td>
</tr>
<tr style="mso-yfti-irow: 18;">
<td style="background-color: transparent; border: rgb(0, 0, 0); padding: 0.75pt;" valign="top">
<div align="right" class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; mso-element-anchor-horizontal: column; mso-element-anchor-vertical: paragraph; mso-element-frame-hspace: 2.25pt; mso-element-wrap: around; mso-element: frame; mso-height-rule: exactly; text-align: right; vertical-align: top;">
<span style="color: #555555; font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif"; font-size: 9pt;">19. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; mso-element-anchor-horizontal: column; mso-element-anchor-vertical: paragraph; mso-element-frame-hspace: 2.25pt; mso-element-wrap: around; mso-element: frame; mso-height-rule: exactly; vertical-align: top;">
<a href="http://www.linkytools.com/click_linky.aspx?entryid=6607133" target="_blank" title="Linked to: http://www.mmbearcupoftea.com"><span style="color: #ad7439; font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif"; font-size: 11.5pt; text-decoration: none; text-underline: none;">10/23 ~ Review & Giveaway @
Marys Cup of Tea</span></a><span style="color: #555555; font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif"; font-size: 11.5pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
</td>
</tr>
<tr style="mso-yfti-irow: 19;">
<td style="background-color: transparent; border: rgb(0, 0, 0); padding: 0.75pt;" valign="top">
<div align="right" class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; mso-element-anchor-horizontal: column; mso-element-anchor-vertical: paragraph; mso-element-frame-hspace: 2.25pt; mso-element-wrap: around; mso-element: frame; mso-height-rule: exactly; text-align: right; vertical-align: top;">
<span style="color: #555555; font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif"; font-size: 9pt;">20. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; mso-element-anchor-horizontal: column; mso-element-anchor-vertical: paragraph; mso-element-frame-hspace: 2.25pt; mso-element-wrap: around; mso-element: frame; mso-height-rule: exactly; vertical-align: top;">
<a href="http://www.linkytools.com/click_linky.aspx?entryid=6607210" target="_blank" title="Linked to: www.teenaintoronto.com"><span style="color: #ad7439; font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif"; font-size: 11.5pt; text-decoration: none; text-underline: none;">10/25 ~ Review @ Teena in Toronto</span></a><span style="color: #555555; font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif"; font-size: 11.5pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
</td>
</tr>
<tr style="mso-yfti-irow: 20;">
<td style="background-color: transparent; border: rgb(0, 0, 0); padding: 0.75pt;" valign="top">
<div align="right" class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; mso-element-anchor-horizontal: column; mso-element-anchor-vertical: paragraph; mso-element-frame-hspace: 2.25pt; mso-element-wrap: around; mso-element: frame; mso-height-rule: exactly; text-align: right; vertical-align: top;">
<span style="color: #555555; font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif"; font-size: 9pt;">21. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; mso-element-anchor-horizontal: column; mso-element-anchor-vertical: paragraph; mso-element-frame-hspace: 2.25pt; mso-element-wrap: around; mso-element: frame; mso-height-rule: exactly; vertical-align: top;">
<a href="http://www.linkytools.com/click_linky.aspx?entryid=6637787" target="_blank" title="Linked to: http://www.thestuffofsuccess.com"><span style="color: #ad7439; font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif"; font-size: 11.5pt; text-decoration: none; text-underline: none;">10/26 ~ Showcase @ The Stuff of
Success</span></a><span style="color: #555555; font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif"; font-size: 11.5pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
</td>
</tr>
<tr style="mso-yfti-irow: 21;">
<td style="background-color: transparent; border: rgb(0, 0, 0); padding: 0.75pt;" valign="top">
<div align="right" class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; mso-element-anchor-horizontal: column; mso-element-anchor-vertical: paragraph; mso-element-frame-hspace: 2.25pt; mso-element-wrap: around; mso-element: frame; mso-height-rule: exactly; text-align: right; vertical-align: top;">
<span style="color: #555555; font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif"; font-size: 9pt;">22. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; mso-element-anchor-horizontal: column; mso-element-anchor-vertical: paragraph; mso-element-frame-hspace: 2.25pt; mso-element-wrap: around; mso-element: frame; mso-height-rule: exactly; vertical-align: top;">
<a href="http://www.linkytools.com/click_linky.aspx?entryid=6626081" target="_blank" title="Linked to: http://blesstheirheartsmom.blogspot.com"><span style="color: #ad7439; font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif"; font-size: 11.5pt; text-decoration: none; text-underline: none;">10/27 ~ Review & Giveaway @
bless their hearts mom</span></a><span style="color: #555555; font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif"; font-size: 11.5pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
</td>
</tr>
<tr style="mso-yfti-irow: 22;">
<td style="background-color: transparent; border: rgb(0, 0, 0); padding: 0.75pt;" valign="top">
<div align="right" class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; mso-element-anchor-horizontal: column; mso-element-anchor-vertical: paragraph; mso-element-frame-hspace: 2.25pt; mso-element-wrap: around; mso-element: frame; mso-height-rule: exactly; text-align: right; vertical-align: top;">
<span style="color: #555555; font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif"; font-size: 9pt;">23. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; mso-element-anchor-horizontal: column; mso-element-anchor-vertical: paragraph; mso-element-frame-hspace: 2.25pt; mso-element-wrap: around; mso-element: frame; mso-height-rule: exactly; vertical-align: top;">
<a href="http://www.linkytools.com/click_linky.aspx?entryid=6606484" target="_blank" title="Linked to: http://jerseygirlbookreviews.blogspot.com/"><span style="color: #ad7439; font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif"; font-size: 11.5pt; text-decoration: none; text-underline: none;">10/28 ~ Review @ Jersey Girl Book
Reviews</span></a><span style="color: #555555; font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif"; font-size: 11.5pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
</td>
</tr>
<tr style="mso-yfti-irow: 23;">
<td style="background-color: transparent; border: rgb(0, 0, 0); padding: 0.75pt;" valign="top">
<div align="right" class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; mso-element-anchor-horizontal: column; mso-element-anchor-vertical: paragraph; mso-element-frame-hspace: 2.25pt; mso-element-wrap: around; mso-element: frame; mso-height-rule: exactly; text-align: right; vertical-align: top;">
<span style="color: #555555; font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif"; font-size: 9pt;">24. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; mso-element-anchor-horizontal: column; mso-element-anchor-vertical: paragraph; mso-element-frame-hspace: 2.25pt; mso-element-wrap: around; mso-element: frame; mso-height-rule: exactly; vertical-align: top;">
<a href="http://www.linkytools.com/click_linky.aspx?entryid=6672892" target="_blank" title="Linked to: sweepingme.com"><span style="color: #ad7439; font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif"; font-size: 11.5pt; text-decoration: none; text-underline: none;">10/29 ~ Showcase @ SweepingMe</span></a><span style="color: #555555; font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif"; font-size: 11.5pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
</td>
</tr>
<tr style="mso-yfti-irow: 24;">
<td style="background-color: transparent; border: rgb(0, 0, 0); padding: 0.75pt;" valign="top">
<div align="right" class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; mso-element-anchor-horizontal: column; mso-element-anchor-vertical: paragraph; mso-element-frame-hspace: 2.25pt; mso-element-wrap: around; mso-element: frame; mso-height-rule: exactly; text-align: right; vertical-align: top;">
<span style="color: #555555; font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif"; font-size: 9pt;">25. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; mso-element-anchor-horizontal: column; mso-element-anchor-vertical: paragraph; mso-element-frame-hspace: 2.25pt; mso-element-wrap: around; mso-element: frame; mso-height-rule: exactly; vertical-align: top;">
<a href="http://www.linkytools.com/click_linky.aspx?entryid=6637639" target="_blank" title="Linked to: www.dealsharingaunt.blogspot.com"><span style="color: #ad7439; font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif"; font-size: 11.5pt; text-decoration: none; text-underline: none;">10/30 ~ Guest Post @ Vicky at Deal
Sharing Aunt</span></a><span style="color: #555555; font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif"; font-size: 11.5pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
</td>
</tr>
<tr style="mso-yfti-irow: 25;">
<td style="background-color: transparent; border: rgb(0, 0, 0); padding: 0.75pt;" valign="top">
<div align="right" class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; mso-element-anchor-horizontal: column; mso-element-anchor-vertical: paragraph; mso-element-frame-hspace: 2.25pt; mso-element-wrap: around; mso-element: frame; mso-height-rule: exactly; text-align: right; vertical-align: top;">
<span style="color: #555555; font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif"; font-size: 9pt;">26. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; mso-element-anchor-horizontal: column; mso-element-anchor-vertical: paragraph; mso-element-frame-hspace: 2.25pt; mso-element-wrap: around; mso-element: frame; mso-height-rule: exactly; vertical-align: top;">
<a href="http://www.linkytools.com/click_linky.aspx?entryid=6606486" target="_blank" title="Linked to: http://www.kittycrochettwo.blogspot.com"><span style="color: #ad7439; font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif"; font-size: 11.5pt; text-decoration: none; text-underline: none;">11/01 ~ Review @ WV Stitcher</span></a><span style="color: #555555; font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif"; font-size: 11.5pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
</td>
</tr>
<tr style="mso-yfti-irow: 26;">
<td style="background-color: transparent; border: rgb(0, 0, 0); padding: 0.75pt;" valign="top">
<div align="right" class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; mso-element-anchor-horizontal: column; mso-element-anchor-vertical: paragraph; mso-element-frame-hspace: 2.25pt; mso-element-wrap: around; mso-element: frame; mso-height-rule: exactly; text-align: right; vertical-align: top;">
<span style="color: #555555; font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif"; font-size: 9pt;">27. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; mso-element-anchor-horizontal: column; mso-element-anchor-vertical: paragraph; mso-element-frame-hspace: 2.25pt; mso-element-wrap: around; mso-element: frame; mso-height-rule: exactly; vertical-align: top;">
<a href="http://www.linkytools.com/click_linky.aspx?entryid=6682169" target="_blank" title="Linked to: http://cncbooksblog.wordpress.com/"><span style="color: #ad7439; font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif"; font-size: 11.5pt; text-decoration: none; text-underline: none;">11/06 ~ Review & Giveaway @
Buried Under Books</span></a><span style="color: #555555; font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif"; font-size: 11.5pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
</td>
</tr>
<tr style="mso-yfti-irow: 27;">
<td style="background-color: transparent; border: rgb(0, 0, 0); padding: 0.75pt;" valign="top">
<div align="right" class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; mso-element-anchor-horizontal: column; mso-element-anchor-vertical: paragraph; mso-element-frame-hspace: 2.25pt; mso-element-wrap: around; mso-element: frame; mso-height-rule: exactly; text-align: right; vertical-align: top;">
<span style="color: #555555; font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif"; font-size: 9pt;">28. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; mso-element-anchor-horizontal: column; mso-element-anchor-vertical: paragraph; mso-element-frame-hspace: 2.25pt; mso-element-wrap: around; mso-element: frame; mso-height-rule: exactly; vertical-align: top;">
<a href="http://www.linkytools.com/click_linky.aspx?entryid=6702640" target="_blank" title="Linked to: rosebeps.blogspot.it/"><span style="color: #ad7439; font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif"; font-size: 11.5pt; text-decoration: none; text-underline: none;">11/07 ~ Showcase @ Rose & Beps
Blog</span></a><span style="color: #555555; font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif"; font-size: 11.5pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
</td>
</tr>
<tr style="mso-yfti-irow: 28;">
<td style="background-color: transparent; border: rgb(0, 0, 0); padding: 0.75pt;" valign="top">
<div align="right" class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; mso-element-anchor-horizontal: column; mso-element-anchor-vertical: paragraph; mso-element-frame-hspace: 2.25pt; mso-element-wrap: around; mso-element: frame; mso-height-rule: exactly; text-align: right; vertical-align: top;">
<span style="color: #555555; font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif"; font-size: 9pt;">29. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; mso-element-anchor-horizontal: column; mso-element-anchor-vertical: paragraph; mso-element-frame-hspace: 2.25pt; mso-element-wrap: around; mso-element: frame; mso-height-rule: exactly; vertical-align: top;">
<a href="http://www.linkytools.com/click_linky.aspx?entryid=6723342" target="_blank" title="Linked to: http://bookalicious-traveladdict.blogspot.co.uk/"><span style="color: #ad7439; font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif"; font-size: 11.5pt; text-decoration: none; text-underline: none;">11/08 ~ Review @ Bookalicious
Travel Addict</span></a><span style="color: #555555; font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif"; font-size: 11.5pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
</td>
</tr>
<tr style="mso-yfti-irow: 29;">
<td style="background-color: transparent; border: rgb(0, 0, 0); padding: 0.75pt;" valign="top">
<div align="right" class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; mso-element-anchor-horizontal: column; mso-element-anchor-vertical: paragraph; mso-element-frame-hspace: 2.25pt; mso-element-wrap: around; mso-element: frame; mso-height-rule: exactly; text-align: right; vertical-align: top;">
<span style="color: #555555; font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif"; font-size: 9pt;">30. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; mso-element-anchor-horizontal: column; mso-element-anchor-vertical: paragraph; mso-element-frame-hspace: 2.25pt; mso-element-wrap: around; mso-element: frame; mso-height-rule: exactly; vertical-align: top;">
<a href="http://www.linkytools.com/click_linky.aspx?entryid=6804633" target="_blank" title="Linked to: mydevotionalthoughts.net"><span style="color: #ad7439; font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif"; font-size: 11.5pt; text-decoration: none; text-underline: none;">11/09 ~ Review & Giveaway @ My
Devotional Thoughts</span></a><span style="color: #555555; font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif"; font-size: 11.5pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
</td>
</tr>
<tr style="mso-yfti-irow: 30;">
<td style="background-color: transparent; border: rgb(0, 0, 0); padding: 0.75pt;" valign="top">
<div align="right" class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; mso-element-anchor-horizontal: column; mso-element-anchor-vertical: paragraph; mso-element-frame-hspace: 2.25pt; mso-element-wrap: around; mso-element: frame; mso-height-rule: exactly; text-align: right; vertical-align: top;">
<span style="color: #555555; font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif"; font-size: 9pt;">31. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; mso-element-anchor-horizontal: column; mso-element-anchor-vertical: paragraph; mso-element-frame-hspace: 2.25pt; mso-element-wrap: around; mso-element: frame; mso-height-rule: exactly; vertical-align: top;">
<a href="http://www.linkytools.com/click_linky.aspx?entryid=6606488" target="_blank" title="Linked to: http://www.celticladysreviews.blogspot.com"><span style="color: #ad7439; font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif"; font-size: 11.5pt; text-decoration: none; text-underline: none;">11/11 ~ Review & Giveaway @
Celticladys Reviews</span></a><span style="color: #555555; font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif"; font-size: 11.5pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
</td>
</tr>
<tr style="mso-yfti-irow: 31;">
<td style="background-color: transparent; border: rgb(0, 0, 0); padding: 0.75pt;" valign="top">
<div align="right" class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; mso-element-anchor-horizontal: column; mso-element-anchor-vertical: paragraph; mso-element-frame-hspace: 2.25pt; mso-element-wrap: around; mso-element: frame; mso-height-rule: exactly; text-align: right; vertical-align: top;">
<span style="color: #555555; font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif"; font-size: 9pt;">32. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; mso-element-anchor-horizontal: column; mso-element-anchor-vertical: paragraph; mso-element-frame-hspace: 2.25pt; mso-element-wrap: around; mso-element: frame; mso-height-rule: exactly; vertical-align: top;">
<a href="http://www.linkytools.com/click_linky.aspx?entryid=6606490" target="_blank" title="Linked to: http://kswederski.com/"><span style="color: #ad7439; font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif"; font-size: 11.5pt; text-decoration: none; text-underline: none;">11/12 ~ Review & Giveaway @
Kaisy Daisys Corner</span></a><span style="color: #555555; font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif"; font-size: 11.5pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
</td>
</tr>
<tr style="mso-yfti-irow: 32;">
<td style="background-color: transparent; border: rgb(0, 0, 0); padding: 0.75pt;" valign="top">
<div align="right" class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; mso-element-anchor-horizontal: column; mso-element-anchor-vertical: paragraph; mso-element-frame-hspace: 2.25pt; mso-element-wrap: around; mso-element: frame; mso-height-rule: exactly; text-align: right; vertical-align: top;">
<span style="color: #555555; font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif"; font-size: 9pt;">33. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; mso-element-anchor-horizontal: column; mso-element-anchor-vertical: paragraph; mso-element-frame-hspace: 2.25pt; mso-element-wrap: around; mso-element: frame; mso-height-rule: exactly; vertical-align: top;">
<a href="http://www.linkytools.com/click_linky.aspx?entryid=6606492" target="_blank" title="Linked to: www.mochasmysteriesandmore.blogspot.com"><span style="color: #ad7439; font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif"; font-size: 11.5pt; text-decoration: none; text-underline: none;">11/13 ~ Guest Post @ Mochas,
Mysteries and More</span></a><span style="color: #555555; font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif"; font-size: 11.5pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
</td>
</tr>
<tr style="mso-yfti-irow: 33;">
<td style="background-color: transparent; border: rgb(0, 0, 0); padding: 0.75pt;" valign="top">
<div align="right" class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; mso-element-anchor-horizontal: column; mso-element-anchor-vertical: paragraph; mso-element-frame-hspace: 2.25pt; mso-element-wrap: around; mso-element: frame; mso-height-rule: exactly; text-align: right; vertical-align: top;">
<span style="color: #555555; font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif"; font-size: 9pt;">34. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; mso-element-anchor-horizontal: column; mso-element-anchor-vertical: paragraph; mso-element-frame-hspace: 2.25pt; mso-element-wrap: around; mso-element: frame; mso-height-rule: exactly; vertical-align: top;">
<a href="http://www.linkytools.com/click_linky.aspx?entryid=6610676" target="_blank" title="Linked to: http://www.masoncanyon.blogspot.com/"><span style="color: #ad7439; font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif"; font-size: 11.5pt; text-decoration: none; text-underline: none;">11/14 ~ Review & Interview @
Thoughts in Progress</span></a><span style="color: #555555; font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif"; font-size: 11.5pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
</td>
</tr>
<tr style="mso-yfti-irow: 34;">
<td style="background-color: transparent; border: rgb(0, 0, 0); padding: 0.75pt;" valign="top">
<div align="right" class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; mso-element-anchor-horizontal: column; mso-element-anchor-vertical: paragraph; mso-element-frame-hspace: 2.25pt; mso-element-wrap: around; mso-element: frame; mso-height-rule: exactly; text-align: right; vertical-align: top;">
<span style="color: #555555; font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif"; font-size: 9pt;">35. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; mso-element-anchor-horizontal: column; mso-element-anchor-vertical: paragraph; mso-element-frame-hspace: 2.25pt; mso-element-wrap: around; mso-element: frame; mso-height-rule: exactly; vertical-align: top;">
<a href="http://www.linkytools.com/click_linky.aspx?entryid=6606672" target="_blank" title="Linked to: http://socratesbookreviews.blogspot.com/"><span style="color: #ad7439; font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif"; font-size: 11.5pt; text-decoration: none; text-underline: none;">11/15 ~ Review, Interview &
Giveaway @ Socrates Book Reviews</span></a><span style="color: #555555; font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif"; font-size: 11.5pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
</td>
</tr>
<tr style="mso-yfti-irow: 35;">
<td style="background-color: transparent; border: rgb(0, 0, 0); padding: 0.75pt;" valign="top">
<div align="right" class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; mso-element-anchor-horizontal: column; mso-element-anchor-vertical: paragraph; mso-element-frame-hspace: 2.25pt; mso-element-wrap: around; mso-element: frame; mso-height-rule: exactly; text-align: right; vertical-align: top;">
<span style="color: #555555; font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif"; font-size: 9pt;">36. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; mso-element-anchor-horizontal: column; mso-element-anchor-vertical: paragraph; mso-element-frame-hspace: 2.25pt; mso-element-wrap: around; mso-element: frame; mso-height-rule: exactly; vertical-align: top;">
<a href="http://www.linkytools.com/click_linky.aspx?entryid=6871642" target="_blank" title="Linked to: http://read2review.com"><span style="color: #ad7439; font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif"; font-size: 11.5pt; text-decoration: none; text-underline: none;">11/18 ~ Review & Giveaway @
Read 2 Review</span></a><span style="color: #555555; font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif"; font-size: 11.5pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
</td>
</tr>
<tr style="mso-yfti-irow: 36;">
<td style="background-color: transparent; border: rgb(0, 0, 0); padding: 0.75pt;" valign="top">
<div align="right" class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; mso-element-anchor-horizontal: column; mso-element-anchor-vertical: paragraph; mso-element-frame-hspace: 2.25pt; mso-element-wrap: around; mso-element: frame; mso-height-rule: exactly; text-align: right; vertical-align: top;">
<span style="color: #555555; font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif"; font-size: 9pt;">37. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; mso-element-anchor-horizontal: column; mso-element-anchor-vertical: paragraph; mso-element-frame-hspace: 2.25pt; mso-element-wrap: around; mso-element: frame; mso-height-rule: exactly; vertical-align: top;">
<a href="http://www.linkytools.com/click_linky.aspx?entryid=6742302" target="_blank" title="Linked to: kriss@cabingoddes.com"><span style="color: #ad7439; font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif"; font-size: 11.5pt; text-decoration: none; text-underline: none;">11/21 ~ Review & Giveaway @
Cabin Goddess</span></a><span style="color: #555555; font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif"; font-size: 11.5pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
</td>
</tr>
<tr style="mso-yfti-irow: 37;">
<td style="background-color: transparent; border: rgb(0, 0, 0); padding: 0.75pt;" valign="top">
<div align="right" class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; mso-element-anchor-horizontal: column; mso-element-anchor-vertical: paragraph; mso-element-frame-hspace: 2.25pt; mso-element-wrap: around; mso-element: frame; mso-height-rule: exactly; text-align: right; vertical-align: top;">
<span style="color: #555555; font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif"; font-size: 9pt;">38. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; mso-element-anchor-horizontal: column; mso-element-anchor-vertical: paragraph; mso-element-frame-hspace: 2.25pt; mso-element-wrap: around; mso-element: frame; mso-height-rule: exactly; vertical-align: top;">
<a href="http://www.linkytools.com/click_linky.aspx?entryid=6637419" target="_blank" title="Linked to: http://ryderislington.wordpress.com"><span style="color: #ad7439; font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif"; font-size: 11.5pt; text-decoration: none; text-underline: none;">11/26 ~ Review & Giveaway @
Ryder Islingtons Blog</span></a><span style="color: #555555; font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif"; font-size: 11.5pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
</td>
</tr>
<tr style="mso-yfti-irow: 38;">
<td style="background-color: transparent; border: rgb(0, 0, 0); padding: 0.75pt;" valign="top">
<div align="right" class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; mso-element-anchor-horizontal: column; mso-element-anchor-vertical: paragraph; mso-element-frame-hspace: 2.25pt; mso-element-wrap: around; mso-element: frame; mso-height-rule: exactly; text-align: right; vertical-align: top;">
<span style="color: #555555; font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif"; font-size: 9pt;">39. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<a href="http://www.linkytools.com/click_linky.aspx?entryid=6606495" target="_blank" title="Linked to: www.theselftaughtcook.com"><span style="color: #ad7439; font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif"; font-size: 11.5pt; text-decoration: none; text-underline: none;">11/27 ~ Review @ THE SELF-TAUGHT
COOK</span></a><span style="color: #555555; font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif"; font-size: 11.5pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #555555; font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif"; font-size: 9pt;">40. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<a href="http://www.linkytools.com/click_linky.aspx?entryid=6605605" target="_blank" title="Linked to: detweilermom.blogspot.com"><span style="color: #ad7439; font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif"; font-size: 11.5pt; text-decoration: none; text-underline: none;">11/28 ~ Review & Giveaway @ A
Room Without Books is Empty</span></a><span style="color: #555555; font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif"; font-size: 11.5pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #555555; font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif"; font-size: 9pt;">41. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<a href="http://www.linkytools.com/click_linky.aspx?entryid=6637452" target="_blank" title="Linked to: saphsbookblog.blogspot.com"><span style="color: #ad7439; font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif"; font-size: 11.5pt; text-decoration: none; text-underline: none;">11/29 ~ Review & Giveaway @
Sapphyrias Book Reviews</span></a><span style="color: #555555; font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif"; font-size: 11.5pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">buy link: <a href="http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_ss_c_0_15?url=search-alias%3Dstripbooks&field-keywords=lesley%20a.%20diehl&sprefix=Lesley+A.+Diehl%2Caps%2C256">http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_ss_c_0_15?url=search-alias%3Dstripbooks&field-keywords=lesley%20a.%20diehl&sprefix=Lesley+A.+Diehl%2Caps%2C256</a> </span>Lesley Diehlhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10552765934908042306noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-99100249239466295.post-50857800693305819532013-08-18T07:08:00.000-07:002013-08-18T07:08:51.915-07:00Keeping It Real
<br />
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<span style="background: white; color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 14pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><o:p>Today homicide/narcotics detective and author of a new mystery is my guest. Please welcome C. L. Swinney.</o:p></span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-fyh8nXhoDrk/UhDIHIVmyFI/AAAAAAAAAcA/A7D7_dCWIug/s1600/CLSwinneyProfile(2).jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-fyh8nXhoDrk/UhDIHIVmyFI/AAAAAAAAAcA/A7D7_dCWIug/s320/CLSwinneyProfile(2).jpg" width="213" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Author C. L. Swinney</td></tr>
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<span style="background: white; color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 14pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Author
C. L. Swinney Is Keeping It Real:<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 14pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">I was a reader far
before I became a writer.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I read quickly
and often finish a book in a day or two.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>My favorites are mystery, suspense, and thrillers.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>But, I’ve got a bone to pick with crime
scenes portrayed in many of these books today. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I see many people get poor reviews for their
work because they make a crucial mistake when writing about a crime scene.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 14pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">First, I’ll add my
“expertise” in this topic.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I’m currently
a homicide/ narcotics detective, been so for five years, and I’ve been in law
enforcement for almost fifteen years.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>I’ve investigated everything from street level drug dealers to cartel
leaders.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I’ve wiretapped people’s phones
and listened to things that would make your blood boil.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>My point, I know what a cop, investigator,
detective, fireman, coroner, evidence tech, and all other folks would or should
do at a crime scene because I’ve been to hundreds of them and investigated most
of them.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 14pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Here are my tips:<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<div class="MsoListParagraph" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.75in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -0.5in;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 14pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">A)<span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 7pt/normal "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 14pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">A clever girlfriend/reporter/significant
other that happens to be dating your protagonist wouldn’t walk through a crime
scene, manipulate evidence, then walk out without being handcuffed and stuffed
in a patrol car.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Crime scenes are sacred
grounds, you do things like this in a novel and people who know what should
really happen will find it hard to believe.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>This attacks your credibility.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I
get fiction “isn’t real,” but that doesn’t mean it shouldn’t be believable.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpFirst" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.75in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -0.5in;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 14pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">B)<span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 7pt/normal "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 14pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Every single element and
angle of a crime scene is labeled, photographed, cataloged, processed,
photographed again, and collected.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>In
major scenes, evidence technicians will do this, not a beat cop.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>If you want to use the beat cop, you need to
explain (or better yet, show) why s/he is doing it instead of the expert.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Readers of suspense, thriller, and mystery
novels are educated and find it misleading when an author cuts out some or most
of these steps.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>If the evidence scene
isn’t important, take it out all together.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.75in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -0.5in;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 14pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">C)<span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 7pt/normal "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 14pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Within the yellow lines
of a crime scene, the atmosphere is somber and the people working are
focused.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Too many books have people
smoking and joking next to a dead body.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>A real law enforcement official wouldn’t do that.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Investigating tragedy and death is not a
funny matter.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We take it very seriously
and owe it to the victim to remain professional.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 115%; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><o:p> </o:p></span></div>
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<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.75in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -0.5in;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 14pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">D)<span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 7pt/normal "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 14pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">When writing a crime
scene, stick to common sense actions or feelings by your characters.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>For instance, don’t have a hardened detective
whose “seen it all” pass out or freak out when s/he sees something bizarre at a
crime scene.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Most cops with any time on
have “seen it all.” <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Experienced cops
have been through hairy situations causing them to digest bizarre, gross,
heinous, whatever you want to throw at them with ease.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I don’t even blink when I see that kind of
stuff.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It’s sad really, but it’s also
the truth.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>If you want to say your
character is shocked or caught off guard, show why that is.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Detective
X’s faced turned white as the coroner lifted the sheet revealing his brother.</i><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 115%;">I am a fiction writer but I spend a lot of time
trying to make the overwhelming majority of what I write realistic.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I feel it adds to the story and I owe it to
the reader to take pride in my craft.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>So
please, when you want to include a crime scene in your novels, make an effort
to avoid the pitfalls I’ve listed above. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I think you will find your story will be
better and people will talk about how you nailed it!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-rSLnmLn8F0g/UhDJTYg8J3I/AAAAAAAAAcU/mufpmAQSWhs/s1600/GrayGhostFrontCover.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-rSLnmLn8F0g/UhDJTYg8J3I/AAAAAAAAAcU/mufpmAQSWhs/s320/GrayGhostFrontCover.jpg" width="213" /></a></div>
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<span style="background: white; color: #333333; font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 115%;">While on a fly
fishing vacation to Andros Island in the Bahamas, narcotics detectives Dix and
Peterson discover their fishing guides were killed when a sudden blast of
gunfire fractured their speedboat, Gray Ghost. Local gossip has it that Gray
Ghost went to the ocean floor with a hundred million dollars worth of cocaine
in the hull. Dix and Peterson are drawn into helping their island friends, and
chase down leads in Miami as well as the Bahamas until they identify the
diabolical plot of the man known only as The Caller…and then the trouble really
starts. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="background: white; color: #333333; font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 115%;">"When two Miami
narcotic officers take a fishing trip to the Bahamas, they can't leave the drug
world behind...Deftly told by the author, detective and avid fly fisher Chris
Swinney, this book will hook any reader of mystery fiction." —Sunny
Frazier, author of the Christy Bristol Astrology Mysteries<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="background: white; color: #333333; font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 115%;">Links for book:<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<a href="http://www.amazon.com/Gray-Ghost-C-L-Swinney/dp/1610091078/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1376442902"><span style="color: blue; font-family: Calibri;">http://www.amazon.com/Gray-Ghost-C-L-Swinney/dp/1610091078/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1376442902</span></a><o:p></o:p></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 115%;">Learn more about C. L. Swinney:<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<a href="http://www.clswinney.wordpress.com/"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="color: blue;">http://www.clswinney.wordpress.com</span></span></a><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 115%;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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Lesley Diehlhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10552765934908042306noreply@blogger.com20tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-99100249239466295.post-70119567558690457902013-08-03T15:05:00.000-07:002013-08-04T06:19:37.132-07:00Author James Callan talks about Contrast in WritingPlease welcome author James Callan today. He has some advice for writers which will help your writing sing.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-muAIlQLJe90/Uf19ULYzWaI/AAAAAAAAAbo/CBsbeDvX8lY/s1600/jim-B&W-casual.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-muAIlQLJe90/Uf19ULYzWaI/AAAAAAAAAbo/CBsbeDvX8lY/s320/jim-B&W-casual.jpg" width="293" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Author James Callan</td></tr>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;">Contrast Is What Allows Us to See<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt;"><o:p> </o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt;">Frequently, we receive the
advice to have things coordinated, matching. The pillows should match the
bedspread.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The shirt should match the
pants.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The earrings should match the necklace.
The furnishing in the house should match.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt;">But it is the contrast that
makes the different pieces stand out.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt;">I had two friends in
college.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>One was six feet four inches
tall, the center of the basketball team.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>(Yes, it was a long time ago when that was actually tall.)<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>His best friend was five feet six inches
tall.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Mutt and Jeff, we sometimes called
them. But everybody noticed them when they were walking across campus.
Contrast.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt;">Jewelers will show crystal
clear diamonds on black velvet. Contrast.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt;">A perfectly clear blue sky is
pretty. Put a single, shinning white cloud in the middle. Both the cloud and
the sky become more beautiful, the contrast enhancing both.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Bring in an angry, dark thunderhead and you
not only have contrast and beauty, but now you have added drama to the picture.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt;">Robert Parker knew the value
of contrast.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He developed a macho
protagonist in Spenser, a wise-cracking, ex-cop with his own code of
honor.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>But, there is a contrast in Spenser,
as he likes to cook and has a committed relationship with Susan Silverman, a
sophisticated lady and Harvard professor.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>And then, to add to the contrast, Parker introduces Hawk. While Spenser
speaks well, sometimes eloquently, Hawk’s speech is abrupt, street talk. Hawk
has his own code, and is a gun for hire. Parker used these contrasts to propel forty
Spenser novels to best-seller status.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>(Ace
Atkins has continued the Spenser books with two since Parker’s death. Spenser
lives on.)<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt;">In my book on character
development (<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Character: The Heartbeat of
the Novel</i> – Oak Tree Press 2013) I suggest that you develop a sidekick for
the protagonist and that there be a distinct contrast between the two. Make the
sidekick a carbon copy of the protagonist and all you’ve really done is add
another pair of hands. You’ve wasted an opportunity.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Here is an opportunity to highlight features
of the protagonist that you’d like to emphasize. In addition, the contrast can
also add small conflicts, and we know that conflict is a core element of the
novel.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt;"><o:p> </o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt;">In
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">A Ton of Gold</i>, I pair a street-wise
high school graduate with a near-Ph.D. research computer scientist. Both are intelligent,
but in contrasting ways. Crystal Moore, the protagonist, is highly educated.
Brandi Brewer is street smart. Periodically, Brandi will say to Crystal,
“Didn’t you learn anything as a kid?” Brandi learned a lot growing up on the
street. Crystal learned a lot in classrooms. It is Crystal who learns from
Brandi. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt;">I
highlight their differences throughout the book. This contrast helps emphasize
features of the protagonist that I want to underscore without my beating the
reader over the head. By juxtaposing the two, I can <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">show</i> features without having to <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">tell</i>
the reader. And it is this “opposite type” character, Brandi, who helps Crystal
find her way to the solution – well, at least for the subplot.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt;">So,
remember to use this important writer’s tool, contrast, to emphasize certain
things, to add minor (or major) conflicts, to bring additional drama into the
story, to improve your novel. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt;"><o:p> </o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt;">James
R. Callan<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<a href="http://www.jamesrcallan.com/"><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="color: blue;">www.jamesrcallan.com</span></span></a><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;">A
Ton of Gold</span></i></b><span style="font-size: 12pt;">, Oak Tree Press, 2013<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;">Character:
The Heartbeat of the Novel</span></i></b><span style="font-size: 12pt;">, Oak
Tree Press, 2013</span></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;">A
Ton of Gold<o:p></o:p></span></i></b></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt;">A contemporary mystery / suspense novel<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt;">Can long forgotten, old folk
tales affect the lives of people today? In <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">A Ton of Gold</i></b>, one certainly
affected young, brilliant Crystal Moore.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Two people are killed, others threatened, a house burned and an office
fire-bombed – all because of an old folk tale, greed and ignorance.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt;">On top of that, the man who
nearly destroyed Crystal emotionally is coming back.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This time he can put an end to her
career.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>She’ll need all the help she can
get from a former bull rider, her streetwise housemate and her feisty 76
year-old grandmother.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt;">A Ton of Gold<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt;">By James R. Callan<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt;">From Oak Tree Press, Feb.
2013<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt;">On Amazon, in paperback, at:<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span><a href="http://amzn.to/UQrqsZ"><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="color: blue;">http://amzn.to/UQrqsZ</span></span></a><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt;">Or the Kindle edition at: <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span><a href="http://amzn.to/12PeHJb"><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="color: blue;">http://amzn.to/12PeHJb</span></span></a><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt;">Or from Oak Tree Press
at:<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span><a href="http://bit.ly/WJXcWl"><span style="font-size: 12pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="color: blue;">http://bit.ly/WJXcWl</span></span></a><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt;">Website:<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span></span><a href="http://www.jamesrcallan.com/"><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="color: blue;">www.jamesrcallan.com</span></span></a><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt;">Blog site:<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span></span><a href="http://www.jamesrcallan.com/blog"><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="color: blue;">www.jamesrcallan.com/blog</span></span></a><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt;">Book website:<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span></span><a href="http://www.atonofgold.com/"><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="color: blue;">www.atonofgold.com</span></span></a><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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Lesley Diehlhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10552765934908042306noreply@blogger.com23tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-99100249239466295.post-21668989522323145912013-07-07T07:06:00.000-07:002013-07-07T07:06:22.180-07:00Why I Became a Writer
Please welcome Kristen Elise. She has an unusual story to tell about how she became a writer. I'm happy she did because the outcome was a most exciting book. Read on.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Author Kristen Elise</td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Cambria;">An Accident, a Dare,
and a Massive Layoff<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Cambria;">My “Why I Became a
Writer” Story<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman;">Kristen Elise, Ph.D. is a drug discovery
biologist and the author of The Vesuvius Isotope. She lives in San Diego,
California, with her husband, stepson, and three canine children. Please visit
her websites at www.kristenelisephd.com and www.murderlab.com. The Vesuvius
Isotope is available in both print (www.kristenelisephd.com and www.amazon.com)
and e-book formats (www.amazon.com for Kindle, www.barnesandnoble.com for Nook,
www.kobo.com for Kobo reader.) <o:p></o:p></span></i></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: Cambria;">A few months ago, Lesley Diehl participated in an
experiment. She and several other professional writers each wrote the same blog
post: Why I Became a Writer. As I neither knew Lesley at that time nor was a
professional writer, I missed the chance to join in. Today, Lesley has
graciously given me a guest slot on her blog to let me catch up. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Cambria;">In short, I stumbled into writing bass-ackward. Three factors
converged to spark my now full-time writing career: an accident, a dare, and a
massive layoff. Three factors that turned out to be three unlikely strokes of
luck.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Cambria;">My contribution to the “Why I Became a Writer” experiment
begins with an experiment of an entirely different kind<span style="mso-ascii-font-family: Cambria; mso-hansi-font-family: Cambria;">—</span>the kind that takes place in a
laboratory. A scientist since birth, I was working on anthrax at the time. My goal
was to identify inhibitors of an anthrax protein. What I found instead was an
activator<span style="mso-ascii-font-family: Cambria; mso-hansi-font-family: Cambria;">—a
molecule that made anthrax infection more efficient</span>. It took very little
creativity on my part to envision a scenario in which this discovery could be
bad. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Cambria;">Around the same time, a friend of mine dared me to write a
story. Having never previously written a story that wasn’t required by a
teacher for a grade, I felt like a total imposter. But I wrote my anthrax activator
story and brought it to my friend’s budding writers’ group. The group quickly
went the way of the dodo, but the idea began to snowball.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
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<o:p><span style="font-family: Cambria;"> </span></o:p></div>
<br />
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<span style="font-family: Cambria;">The story grew into my first full-length manuscript, <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">The Death Row Complex</i>. The thing that
amazed me the most during that time was how addicted to writing I would quickly
become. I absolutely couldn’t put the manuscript down, and I also began looking
ahead to the next one. I don’t know when it happened, but somewhere along the
lines, writing became a permanent fixture in my life. But it still hadn’t
occurred to me that it would ever be more than a hobby.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
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<o:p><span style="font-family: Cambria;"> </span></o:p></div>
<br />
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<span style="font-family: Cambria;">While I was still working on <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">The Death Row Complex</i>, the idea for my next novel struck. I was in
Italy on vacation and paid a visit to the Naples Archeological Museum. The more
I learned of the lost city of Herculaneum, the more the idea began to develop.
I came to realize that my <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Death Row</i>
protagonist belonged in both novels, and that the second story needed to be
released first. So I finished the first draft of <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Death Row</i> and then shelved it to write the manuscript that would
become <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">The Vesuvius Isotope.</i><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
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<o:p><span style="font-family: Cambria;"> </span></o:p></div>
<br />
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<span style="font-family: Cambria;">I finished this manuscript in December. In January, I handed
it to a professional editor. And in February, the pharmaceutical company I
worked for cut my entire site, laying off every one if its more than 100
employees. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<o:p><span style="font-family: Cambria;"> </span></o:p></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Cambria;">I had just become a professional novelist. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
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<o:p><span style="font-family: Cambria;"> </span></o:p></div>
<br />
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<span style="font-family: Cambria;">Mind you, I had become a professional novelist without an
actual novel to speak of, let alone a dime ever earned from said non-existent novel.
But what the hell. Truth be told, the pharmaceutical industry is a great place
to be laid off from, and I say that with all sincerity. The severance package I
received was enough. Not “lap of luxury” enough, but enough to take a hiatus
and publish my book.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
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<o:p><span style="font-family: Cambria;"> </span></o:p></div>
<br />
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<span style="font-family: Cambria;">I had no idea how long my Extended Spring Break, as I like
to call it, would turn out to be. I still don’t. But even then, I knew it would
be finite. So it was clear that query letters followed by months of waiting
were not going to be the best path for me. I buckled down and learned how to
self-publish.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
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<o:p><span style="font-family: Cambria;"> </span></o:p></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Cambria;">That was the day I realized that I had just become my own
marketing department. So while the editing was ongoing and my sole prop was being
established, I was also turbo-charging my platform. Publishers noticed me, and
I was quickly offered a couple of contracts, unsolicited. I turned them down in
order to get the book out faster, knowing that my Extended Spring Break, and
with it the time I had for promoting the book, would eventually come to an end.
<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
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<o:p><span style="font-family: Cambria;"> </span></o:p></div>
<span style="font-family: "Cambria","serif"; font-size: 12pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-fareast-font-family: "MS Mincho"; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-fareast; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">And so I became a full-time novelist without a
publishing contract and before ever completing a novel. Now that <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">The Vesuvius Isotope</i> is a reality, I am
returning to <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Death Row</i>. And when my
severance pay runs out, if the Pulitzer Committee still hasn’t come knocking, I’ll
head back into the laboratory. I can only dare hope for another inspirational accident
before the next massive lay-off.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Cambria","serif"; font-size: 12pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-fareast-font-family: "MS Mincho"; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-fareast; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;"></span><br />
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<br />
<span style="font-family: "Cambria","serif"; font-size: 12pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-fareast-font-family: "MS Mincho"; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-fareast; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman;">
About <em>The Vesuvius Isotope</em></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Times New Roman;"></span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-indent: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Times New Roman;">When her Nobel laureate husband is
murdered, biologist Katrina Stone can no longer ignore the secrecy that
increasingly pervaded his behavior in recent weeks. Her search for answers
leads to a two-thousand-year-old medical mystery and the esoteric life of one of
history’s most enigmatic women. Following the trail forged by her late husband,
Katrina must separate truth from legend as she chases medicine from ancient
Italy and Egypt to a clandestine modern-day war. Her quest will reveal a legacy
of greed and murder and resurrect an ancient plague, introducing it into the
twenty-first century.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Times New Roman;">
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Lesley Diehlhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10552765934908042306noreply@blogger.com13tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-99100249239466295.post-10627030180328715542013-06-23T12:41:00.000-07:002013-06-23T12:41:49.289-07:00Summer Editing
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
Finally.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>What I’ve
been waiting for since we returned from the South—warm weather.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The rains that filled the stream out back and
brought back the fears of to two years ago and the flood are simply a
memory.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>They may return, but for now the
skies are filled with big puffy clouds that may develop into a storm later
today, but I’m happy to be sitting on my back deck overlooking the creek and enjoying
an occasional breeze.<o:p></o:p></div>
<br />
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<o:p> </o:p></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
I did the same yesterday, my computer on the table in front
of me working on what I hope will be the final edit for my book <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">A Secondhand Murder</i> scheduled for
release September 15.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The manuscript is
in Adobe so you can imagine how frustrating that is, but it’s made far easier
by what I see when I lift my gaze from the computer to the scene in front of
me.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Yesterday the Canada geese we’d
noticed in the region brought their kids down to the stream to have play
time.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It looked very much like taking
the gamily to the beach on the weekend.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>They were joined by several crows who usually claim the beach for their
own, hence our name for it, “Crow Beach”.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>They didn’t seem to mind the company.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>In addition to the Canadas was a white goose, bigger than all the
rest.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I couldn’t see if it was an albino
(I don’t even know if birds some in albino form) or simply a regular goose who
had adopted the Canada family as its own.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>It seemed to be well accepted as it swam among the children and adults,<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Maybe it was the nanny or a baby sitter hired
for the day.<o:p></o:p></div>
<br />
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<o:p> </o:p></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
This morning our resident woodchuck occupied our backyard at
the creek’s edge bringing with her a smaller “chuck”.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We were going to trap her, but now Glenn is
afraid to separate the two and is obsessing about how he can capture them
together.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The young one is well able to
find for itself, but Glenn doesn’t like to break up the family.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I’m sympathetic, but pointed out he can move
them both to the same spot.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>They’ll find
one another again.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He’s putting this
off.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I can’t blame him, but it’s not going
to settle itself.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We already moved a
chipmunk to the cemetery across the stream.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>No, no.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Not dead.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We trapped the little bugger and moved him
live.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The cemetery is a beautiful place
for a chipper critter and would make a great home for our chucks too.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We like seeing them until they begin to eat
our garden then it’s time for the moving truck.<o:p></o:p></div>
<br />
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<o:p> </o:p></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-wuK9qNv_NT8/UcdPBLleKLI/AAAAAAAAAa4/hSl-CCTjT6Q/s1600/100_0449.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-wuK9qNv_NT8/UcdPBLleKLI/AAAAAAAAAa4/hSl-CCTjT6Q/s400/100_0449.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Sharing Summer</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<o:p></o:p> </div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
The stream is back down from high water several weeks
ago.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It flows gently toward our
property, then rushes over the rocks to drop several feet and continue its flow
past our house.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I can hear it babble and
see the white ripples sparkle as the sunlight hits them.<o:p></o:p></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
It’s clear now, revealing large rocks on the bottom.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>People come down to the bank on the other
side of the stream to swim and wade often bringing their dogs who seem to enjoy
a brief dip also.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It’s become the
community pool in these hot days.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Last
weekend while the water was still high and the days still cool, several
adolescents came by on inner tubes enjoying the excitement of being twirled and
dunked by the whirlpool at the base of the downed willow trees just in front of
our yard.<o:p></o:p></div>
<br />
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<o:p> </o:p></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
Well, you get the idea.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>It’s so tranquil here, a feast for the soul.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>What’s that I hear?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The blackbirds, crows, a cardinal and two
squirrels are chorusing a message for me, saying, “Get busy editing,” so I must
go, but I hope you enjoyed this little reprieve from work as much as I
did.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Do you take soul satisfying
breaks?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>What are they like?<o:p></o:p></div>
Lesley Diehlhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10552765934908042306noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-99100249239466295.post-4630878147137985372013-06-16T08:58:00.000-07:002013-06-16T08:58:19.846-07:00Using Fear to Write<strong>But first some news: Coming soon from Camel Press, my first Eve Appel Mystery, <em>A Secondhand Murder. </em>At Eve's Florida consignment shop the bargains are to die for. This is thrift with a twist.</strong><br />
<strong></strong><br />
<div align="center">
My Fears: Can I make them work for me as a writer?</div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
I watched the rain continue to come down last week and
watched our little trout stream turn into a raging river.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Oh no, I thought.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Not again.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Two years ago the stream spilled over its banks leaving our basement
filled with three to four feet of water.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>The worst part wasn’t the basement.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>It was the fear the night before that the river would sweep the entire
house away.<o:p></o:p></div>
<br />
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<o:p> </o:p></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
I’ve always had a fear of drowning.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>My parents did not have the money to buy
swimming lessons in the summers when all the other kids were learning to paddle
their way the length of the community pool.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>It was not until I was in my teens that I learned to swim, but I never
passed my beginners’ test because I was too terrified to jump into the deep end
of the pool, a requirement to pass.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I
swam with my head out of the water, never able to put it under water and learn
to hold my breath.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I still swim that way
although I’m more comfortable being in the water.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I can do almost every stoke as long as I
don’t have to put my face in the water.<o:p></o:p></div>
<br />
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<o:p> </o:p></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
I have recurring dreams about driving down a road and the
road leads into a lake which I drive right into.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I usually wake up.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>So no, I’m not water nymph.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></div>
<br />
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<o:p> </o:p></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
Seeing that water rise again this past week brought back all
the terrors of the flood two years ago.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>I was alone then because Glenn was on a cross country motorcycle grip
promoting his book.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He’s here this year,
so I felt comforted by his presence, yet still frightened by the prospect of
another flood.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The last time they
declared a state of emergency which means no one is to be on the road, a real
catch twenty-two.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>How as I to get out of
the way of the waters if I couldn’t drive off?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>The best I could hope for was someone pulling up to my back deck in a
boat while I handed them my two cats and abandoned the house.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>That’s if they found me and not the house
floating down the river with me and the cats in the attic.<o:p></o:p></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<o:p> </o:p></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
To my great relief the rain let up and the waters subsided
the next morning, giving me the emotional space to think about fear and to
realize that my fears have colored my writing.<o:p></o:p></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<o:p> </o:p></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
I don’t think I have many fears, but fear of drowning in a
flood found its way into several of my books as well as the feat of wild
fires.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I’m big on finding natural
disasters particularly terrifying for my protagonists.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<o:p> </o:p></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
But there are the little other fears that are more personal.
<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I do use these to provide exciting moments
for my sassy country gals.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I have a fear of heights that has developed
over the past five years.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It is related
to a medical condition, vertigo.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>My
protagonist in <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Angel Sleuth </i>finds she
can deal with being hung over a chasm and handle the challenge of getting to
safety.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Good for her.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>She should be better than I, don’t you think?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I hate snakes. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Now isn’t that a kick when I live in Florida
where we can grow ‘em big and scary?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>For
some reason I’ve been reluctant to use this fear in my writing until just
recently as I was working on the second book in my Eve Appel Murder Mystery
series.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I don’t want to ruin it for you,
but I used snakes not simply to scare, but to work for my protagonist.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<o:p> </o:p></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
When I was a kid I used to be scared of vampires and
werewolves.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Not now, so you won’t read
about my protagonist turning into a vampire any time soon.<o:p></o:p></div>
<br />
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<o:p> </o:p></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
What are your fears?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Do you use them in your writing?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Do you like protagonists who share these fears and overcome them?<o:p></o:p></div>
Lesley Diehlhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10552765934908042306noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-99100249239466295.post-62717610265082636722013-06-09T07:29:00.000-07:002013-06-09T07:29:14.038-07:00Finding and Hiding Dead Bodies
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<o:p> </o:p></div>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-rWudMyK6VJk/UbSPAqNGN6I/AAAAAAAAAaQ/2HMHorYEheo/s1600/GrillChillKillFrCV.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="200" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-rWudMyK6VJk/UbSPAqNGN6I/AAAAAAAAAaQ/2HMHorYEheo/s200/GrillChillKillFrCV.jpg" width="128" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Body in Beer Cooler Truck</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-gWuNyZxYr9A/UbSONak1aMI/AAAAAAAAAaI/k7hwxdjCQmc/s1600/DumpsterFCWeb.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="200" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-gWuNyZxYr9A/UbSONak1aMI/AAAAAAAAAaI/k7hwxdjCQmc/s200/DumpsterFCWeb.jpg" width="134" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Body in Dumpster behind Bar<br />
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<o:p> </o:p></div>
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I like to locate my dead bodies in interesting or odd
places.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I think all mystery writers do
this when they can, so I was thinking as I was trying to take a nap that it might
be fun to come up with a list of places where a writer might locate a
body.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I’ve tried to divide my list into
categories.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<o:p> </o:p></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">All Around the House<o:p></o:p></b></div>
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<o:p> </o:p></div>
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<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>In
bathtubs, large sinks, washing machines, dryers, stoves, dishwashers.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>In closets, in the old coal bin in the
basement or an antique trunk in the attic. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Tucked into the eaves, bricked up behind a
wall, stuffed under the couch, hidden in the dog crate, shoved behind the
draperies if in a hurry (to be moved later).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Under the front or back steps, behind the stack of newspapers that were
to be moved last week.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>In the hamper with
the dirty clothes, then moved to the clothesbasket with the freshly laundered
ones.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Tied to the
chimney, for who looks up there anyway?<o:p></o:p></div>
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<o:p> </o:p></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">For Outdoorsy folks<o:p></o:p></b></div>
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<o:p> </o:p></div>
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<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Floating or
weighted down in a stream, lake, river, or pond.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>In a gravel quarry under a pile of crushed
rock, or crushed by a rock under a pile of gravel.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>In the woods, buried or propped up by a tree,
as if enjoying the day.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>In a swamp, but
before the alligators find it. In a cave covered by bat doodoo.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>In the
compost pile, under the mulch pile, buried in the garden or used for a
scarecrow.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Lodged behind the bushes
along the fence line, jammed into the wood chuck’s hole.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Under the grill cover which is never used
anyway.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Tossed into a ditch along the
road with the rest of the litter or tossed in the trash can at the interstate
rest area.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<o:p> </o:p></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Going on a Trip<o:p></o:p></b></div>
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<o:p> </o:p></div>
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<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>In the
truck of the car or in the car carrier on the top (see outdoorsy locations for
final resting place).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Left behind in a
motel room under the bed, in the shower or in the spa or pool.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>With the carryon luggage or, if willing to
pay extra, checked with the other bags.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>In the airplane lavatory or train lavatory. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Or in the bus station’s bathroom to be
discovered when it is cleaned next month (year).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Dumped in a foreign country without a passport.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Discarded
in any of the outdoorsy locations suggested above in any country, e.g., On Top
of Old Smoky, at the Great Wall or in the Kremlin.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Sent into
outer space (unmanned probe).</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-jHlBio30VlI/UbSPelSukaI/AAAAAAAAAaY/XmfgrdvgtQU/s1600/ADDWebsiteCover.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="200" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-jHlBio30VlI/UbSPelSukaI/AAAAAAAAAaY/XmfgrdvgtQU/s200/ADDWebsiteCover.jpg" width="123" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Body found in neighbor's brewery</td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-OjZD2E0BAdw/UbSP8e28eJI/AAAAAAAAAag/TFI5qXt5uwc/s1600/Poisoned_final_KDPandweb.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="200" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-OjZD2E0BAdw/UbSP8e28eJI/AAAAAAAAAag/TFI5qXt5uwc/s200/Poisoned_final_KDPandweb.jpg" width="128" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Body found in protag's brewery</td></tr>
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<o:p></o:p> </div>
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<o:p> </o:p></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Scary or Ghoulish Places<o:p></o:p></b></div>
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<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>In a
funeral home in its own coffin or sharing with another.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>In a graveyard, buried alone (so overdone) or
sharing (as above).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>In a meat packing
plant, incinerator in the county landfill or simply left out with the trash on
Monday morning (see All Around the House above).<o:p></o:p></div>
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At a fun house in the tunnel of
love.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Riding the Ferris wheel, merry go
round or tilt a whirl. <o:p></o:p></div>
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<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>In a trick
or treat bag on Halloween (big bag!).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Dressed as a corpse being pulled around in your kid’s red wagon on
Halloween.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Old MacDonald’s Farm<o:p></o:p></b></div>
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<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Since I
grew up on a farm, I couldn’t resist this category.<o:p></o:p></div>
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In the milk cooler, under the
manure pile, in the manure spreader (see the outdoorsy category for final
resting places), in the hay mow, in the tack room, in the corn crib, in the
chicken coop (that’s where I used to hide my teddy bear), in any piece of farm
machinery—baler, corn picker, plow, hay wagon.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Down the well or up in the windmill (again, who looks up there?), in
bossy or Dobbin’s stall.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Tucked in the
middle of a herd of sheep, goats cows or horses, a tricky maneuver, but I’m
certain any good writer could work around this one.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Feed troughs and water troughs are big enough
to accommodate several bodies in case you’ve got a serial killer on your hands.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<o:p> </o:p></div>
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<o:p> </o:p></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">City Places<o:p></o:p></b></div>
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<o:p> </o:p></div>
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<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>On a bus,
subway or in a subway tunnel.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>In the 57<sup>th</sup>
precinct coffee room.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>In the fountain
for a big splash.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Dressed as a mannequin
in the department store window.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>In a
dressing room.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>On the treadmill,
stepper, spin bicycle or any other piece of equipment in a fitness club because
everyone will just think the person is resting between reps.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>In the mayor’s chair, just resting.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>On the floor of the House of Representatives,
again simply resting.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>In Central Park,
the most clichéd location.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>In a ghetto,
again cliched.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>In a Park Avenue apartment
or in their laundry chute, also clichéd.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Seated in a car in a parking garage.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Seated in a car at an expired meter.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Located in a trunk in the aforementioned locations is also cliched.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>In the alleyway in a commercial dumpster
along with the other bodies there the cops haven’t yet discovered.</div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-6dzNVapO7To/UbSQa_RKCoI/AAAAAAAAAao/bLlWUfI2UbY/s1600/AngelSleuthFinal.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="200" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-6dzNVapO7To/UbSQa_RKCoI/AAAAAAAAAao/bLlWUfI2UbY/s200/AngelSleuthFinal.jpg" width="133" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Body at foot of stairs while protag pedals by chased by a gaggle of geese</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<o:p></o:p> </div>
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<o:p> </o:p></div>
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<o:p> </o:p></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">It’s Your Business<o:p></o:p></b></div>
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<o:p> </o:p></div>
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<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>In any
business such as in a dressing room (in my newest book due out Sept 15), behind the Slurpee machine at a
convenience store, hidden with the two by fours in a Do-It-Yourself store, feet
first with the cherry tree in the garden shop or side by side with yesterday’s
pastries in a bake shop.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<o:p> </o:p></div>
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If I kept at this I’ll bet I could come up with more.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I’ve used some of the more absurd ones in my
mysteries.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>You too must have some great
ones.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Share.<o:p></o:p></div>
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Lesley Diehlhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10552765934908042306noreply@blogger.com13tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-99100249239466295.post-32985598321627416412013-05-26T13:53:00.000-07:002013-05-26T13:53:33.634-07:00I Love Yard Sales
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I love yard sales, and I think it’s because I consider them the
physical counterpart to writing mysteries.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Here’s how I see the two.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>First,
there must be an idea for a story.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>That’s easy because the newspaper publishes the sales going on each
weekend.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>That’s the story—Mystery writer
gets up earlier than usual and takes on the secondhand world.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<o:p> </o:p></div>
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Now we need a plot.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>For our yard saling story, it’s better to be a plotter rather than a
pantser. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This is what I do the evening
before.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I sit with the newspaper listing
of the sales and a county map.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I then
work out the order my husband and I (of course we both go.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We’re both writers, aren’t we?) <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>will visit the sale locations.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Usually it’s the ones nearest where we live,
then those on our side of town, ending with the ones on the other side of the
community.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Like all good plots, it’s
necessary to leave open the possibility that we’ll pass by other sales on the
way to those already in the plan or plot.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>There may even be some advertised by signs on telephone poles luring us
to places far removed from our original plan.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>It’s best to know neighborhoods and detour only for those you have a hunch
will pay off, not those known to carry only junk.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>You’ll know this because you may have been
drawn here before only to discover it wasn’t worth the rewrite, er, detour.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<o:p> </o:p></div>
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The clues come next and this is the fun part.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The goodies purchased at the sales are the
clues, because you never know what you’ll find that, together with your other
purchases will complete this story to your satisfaction.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Always strive for the happy ending where you
achieve some feeling of accomplishment. Some articles you jump to the minute
you alight from the car only to discover they are not worthy of your
consideration.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>They’re rusted, ripped,
dirty beyond saving, chipped, too expensive and can’t be bargained down to your
price or you already have twenty tea cups just like those.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Others seem like a steal, but when you get
them home, you decide you don’t like them and you delete that part of the
story.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Don’t be swayed by what other s
are considering or your story will sound stale.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Be creative.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I find the little
things, like clues that don’t seem on the surface of it to be significant, are
the most exciting.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The twenty-five cent
basket that looks just right on your outdoor table, or a picture frame that
fits with the décor of your home in Florida.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>An aside here: my husband warns me against buying items that we have to
transport from one home to the other.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He
claims my purchases for the other house are why we’ve downsized to a small car,
but he was the one who jammed the secondhand convection oven in the trunk of
the car making me leave my big suitcase home…grumble, grumble.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Sometimes shopping with a partner is as bad
as writing with one.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<o:p> </o:p></div>
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There’s always a dark moment and sometimes, surprisingly, it
comes too early in the day.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>You’ve been
stopping at sale after sale and you’ve found nothing.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Or you walk up to a sale and a yard flag you
didn’t know you wanted, but now can’t live without grabs your attention.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Just before you hand your dollar to the seller
another buyer steps in front of you and takes it.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Now you know who the villain is.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Sometimes you feel there is no way out of the
dark moment.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This happens when it rains,
a sale is cancelled or you find no sales advertised in the paper.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The best rescue for your story is to go to a
consignment shop or Goodwill or Salvation Army and buy something there.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>If you can’t do that, then another
alternative, which I consider cheating although sometimes necessary, is to shop
the internet and buy something or do it in a nearby mall.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I warn you this ending is a bit like reading
the first manuscript you ever wrote that you’ve stashed in your bottom desk
drawer.<o:p></o:p></div>
<br />
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<o:p> </o:p></div>
<br />
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I can’t remember doing yard sales without buying
something.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I don’t purchase an item just
to say I came away a winner, but I do admit one item makes the whole venture
more of a short story than a novel.<o:p></o:p></div>
<br />
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<o:p> </o:p></div>
<br />
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Friends ask if I’ll ever find I don’t need anything at yard
sales and stop going.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We don’t yard sale
because we need thing.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We do it for the
adventure, the fun, the quest.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Will I
ever not go?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>That’s like asking if I’ll
ever stop write mysteries.<o:p></o:p></div>
<br />
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<o:p> </o:p></div>
<br />
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Yard sales yesterday?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Mostly rained out, but I did get that cute little fishy frame.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I’ll take it to Florida.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I’ll hide it in my suitcase with that sweater
I bought last week.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And the tablecloth
and napkins, placemats…<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Don’t tell my
husband.<o:p></o:p></div>
<br />
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<o:p> </o:p></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<o:p> </o:p></div>
Lesley Diehlhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10552765934908042306noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-99100249239466295.post-23211967374296453202013-05-12T13:01:00.000-07:002013-05-12T13:01:37.567-07:00Letting Go
<br />
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt;"><o:p> </o:p></span></div>
<br />
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt;">We have been back in upstate New York
for several weeks.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>These few weeks seem
to be all about letting go.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I can’t return
to our cottage here and not think of what the stream bank was like before the
flood destroyed it.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It is hard for me to
let go of those graceful, but gnarly old willows that lined the stream and
learn to love the large boulders that now hold the water back from our lovely cottage.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
</div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-Yke0zxwaW8w/UY_0U_IlxUI/AAAAAAAAAZk/ulO4_3mgpHk/s1600/100_0444.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-Yke0zxwaW8w/UY_0U_IlxUI/AAAAAAAAAZk/ulO4_3mgpHk/s320/100_0444.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Saying Goodbye to My Trees</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt; text-indent: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt;"><o:p> </o:p></span></div>
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt;">Some friends invited us to dinner last
night along with others who were colleagues of mine when I taught at the
college here.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We caught up with each
other after our six months absence, and since five of the six us were retired,
we talked about retirement and how we found the adventure.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I
commented that it has been four years since I visited the campus and observed
that I don’t return because that part of my life has been replaced by my work
as a mystery writer. <o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span><br />
<br />
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt;">At another university when I was an
administrator, I met several faculty who still retained their offices on campus
and still went to the office each day.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>They were adamant the administration not take away these spaces because
they needed a space in which to work.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Perhaps, but I also sensed something else.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>They did not wish to let go of the life as professor
they once had.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>In fact, it seemed they
could not let go of it.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I vowed I would
not do that when I retired.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt;"><o:p> </o:p></span><br />
<br />
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt;">I enjoyed my years teaching college
students, but now I’m quite happy to have others do it.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I think it’s like publishing a book.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Once you have put it out there in print, it
is no longer yours.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It belongs to the
readers.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Once you’ve left life as a
college professor, it belongs to those who come after you.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt;"><o:p> </o:p></span><br />
<br />
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt;">Sometimes it’s little things that you
have to let go of.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Glenn and I used to
go to this country bar and restaurant in Okeechobee every weekend and dance to the
bands there.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Last year it changed ownership
and now has become a bar that allows smoking, has installed pool tables where
we used to dance and holds TV sports events.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>No more dancing.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Here in upstate
New York, there are no places to dance either.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>I miss that part of our life.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And
unfortunately it’s a part that seems to remind me I’m getting older.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Who me?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt;"><o:p> </o:p></span><br />
<br />
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt;">I’m aware that it is easy to assert that
we should move on with our lives and for some not so easily accomplished.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I feel lucky because I have my writing.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I have friends who insist they cannot retire
because they have no life other than their work.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>So I feel very fortunate I found another part
of myself I could develop.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>As a
developmental psychologist I know life is all about change, and change comes
only when we are confronted by challenges and find we must adjust.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It can be fun, and it can be painful.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It can be both fun and painful.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt;">What else have I had to let go of in
these weeks?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Well, I thought we would
begin renovating our downstairs bathroom.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Instead I had to let go of that idea until Glenn finishes building an
extension onto our shed.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>So I’m still
carting laundry to the nearby laundromat.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>The good news is that it’s right next to the ice cream shop.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt; text-indent: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt;"></span> </div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt; text-indent: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt;">What does letting go mean to you?</span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt; text-indent: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt;"><o:p> </o:p></span></div>
<br />
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt;"><o:p> </o:p></span></div>
Lesley Diehlhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10552765934908042306noreply@blogger.com25tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-99100249239466295.post-13911775064984337352013-05-05T05:20:00.000-07:002013-05-05T05:20:21.180-07:00A Funny GalLet's welcome Melanie Campbell to the blog. She's one of the funniest authors I've had the pleasure to read and, you know me, I love funny. Today she provides us some insight into her penchant for the hilarious.<br />
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<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-2pnXm0DpFy8/UYZNb8Kg0xI/AAAAAAAAAY8/CQTrhGbRSwk/s1600/Campbell-author-400.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="278" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-2pnXm0DpFy8/UYZNb8Kg0xI/AAAAAAAAAY8/CQTrhGbRSwk/s320/Campbell-author-400.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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Melodie</div>
<br />
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span lang="EN-CA" style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">Writing Comedy – and Loving It!<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
<br />
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<span lang="EN-CA" style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">By
Melodie Campbell<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span lang="EN-CA" style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">“I
had the flu once.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It was terrible.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I couldn’t eat a thing for three hours.”<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span lang="EN-CA" style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">I hope you giggled at that line.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I think it’s one of my best.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And yes, I am a tad fond of eating.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>In fact, you could list it as my major hobby.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span lang="EN-CA" style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">My name is Melodie Campbell, and I write
comedies.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>(This <u>is</u> a self-help
group, right?)<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Sure I’d like to kick the
habit and write a ‘real’ book with literary merit.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span lang="EN-CA" style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">Okay, so that’s a lie.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Leave ROWENA AND THE DARK LORD behind?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Not write a sequel?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I’m starting to hyperventilate.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Actually, I love writing comedies.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It’s in my blood.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span lang="EN-CA" style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><crowd gasps="" here=""><o:p></o:p></crowd></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span lang="EN-CA" style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">A GREEK MASK<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span lang="EN-CA" style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">Some people are born beautiful.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>But most of us aren’t and we look for ways to
survive the slings and arrows of life.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Sometimes we choose to hide behind a mask.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>That Greek Comedy mask was the one I picked
way back.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span lang="EN-CA" style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">As a means of self-preservation in the cruel
world of teenagers, I looked for the ‘funny.’<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>More often than not, I made fun of myself. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This was easy to do.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I knew the target well and there was a wealth
of material.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And it didn’t hurt anyone
else, so people liked it.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span lang="EN-CA" style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">When I left school and had a ‘real’ job,
I started writing stand-up on the side.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>I rarely delivered it – usually I wrote for others. That led to a
regular newspaper humour column, and more.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span lang="EN-CA" style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">So when it came to writing fantasy novels,
I fell back into ‘safe mode’.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Write it funny.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span lang="EN-CA" style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">IT’S AN ADDICTION<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Worse than chocolate and foreign Counts…<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Comedy writers take a situation, and ask themselves ‘what’s the worst
thing that could happen now?’<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And then,
what’s the funniest?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">But why do it?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Why does an
otherwise sane individual write zany and some might say silly comedy, and risk
the inevitable hit from critics who say your book is without great literary
merit?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">One reason, and one reason only: many</span><span lang="EN-CA" style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">
readers love it.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Their comments and
reviews are heart-lifting.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I’ve
lightened their day with adventure and laughter, and in some cases given them a
story they can escape into, over and over again. It’s all about readers.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span lang="EN-CA" style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Excerpt
from <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Rowena and the Dark Lord<o:p></o:p></b></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-indent: 0.3in;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">I was
beginning to get a very bad feeling.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-indent: 0.3in;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">“Did you
volunteer for this job?”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-indent: 0.3in;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">“Yes.” Howard
was now relieving himself off to my right.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-indent: 0.3in;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">“<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Why</i>?” My voice was perhaps a little
harsh.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-indent: 0.3in;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">“To get out
of fighting, of course. Everyone says there’s going to be a big battle. It
seemed like a good time to leave the castle.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-indent: 0.3in;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">I rolled my
eyes. So now I had a complete newbie horse dude who was also a coward to look
after on this trip. Howard the Coward. Lucky me.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-indent: 0.3in;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">“Can we sit
for a bit? I’m exhausted.” He plunked down on the grass. Then he sprang up
again. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-indent: 0.3in;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">“Ow! Ow!
Ow!” He ran around in circles.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-indent: 0.3in;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">“What is
it?” I watched in amazement.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-indent: 0.3in;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">“A bee! I
sat on a bee.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-indent: 0.3in;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">“Are you
sure it’s a bee?” I said, crossing my arms. “Maybe it was a wasp.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-indent: 0.3in;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">“Does it
matter?” He was jumping up and down.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-indent: 0.3in;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">“Well, if
it’s a wasp, you’re okay. If it’s a bee, the stinger will still be stuck in
you. So when you sit down again…”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-indent: 0.3in;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">“Ahhh!! Take
it out! Get it out!” He lifted his tunic and bent over.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Ick.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">I turned
away. “I am <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">so</i> not doing that.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-CA" style="mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;"><o:p><span style="font-family: Calibri;"> </span></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span lang="EN-CA">Melodie
Campbell achieved a personal best this year when <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Library Journal</i> compared her to Janet Evanovich.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>She has over 200 publications, including 100
comedy credits, 40 short stories, and 4 novels. She has won 6 awards for
fiction</span></b><span lang="EN-CA">.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><a href="http://www.melodiecampbell.com/"><span style="color: blue;">www.melodiecampbell.com</span></a><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-CA"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Enter for a $50 Amazon gift certificate and
15 book Giveaway!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Free!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Deadline May 10 </span><a href="http://www.funnygirlmelodie.blogspot.ca/"><span style="color: blue; font-family: Calibri;">www.funnygirlmelodie.blogspot.ca</span></a></span></div>
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<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-V_kLnSqaTTM/UYZNjFYtd4I/AAAAAAAAAZI/6MkfKWkcPI4/s1600/Rowena_and_the_Dark_Lord_Front_Cover.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-V_kLnSqaTTM/UYZNjFYtd4I/AAAAAAAAAZI/6MkfKWkcPI4/s320/Rowena_and_the_Dark_Lord_Front_Cover.jpg" width="207" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span lang="EN-CA">ROWENA
AND THE DARK LORD</span></b><span lang="EN-CA">, book 2 in the Land’s End series,
is NOW AVAILABLE at the special introductory price of .99! (regular price
$3.99, after May 1.) Buy Link: <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-CA"><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Rowena-Dark-Lord-Lands-ebook/dp/B00CIZZS70/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1367004079&sr=8-3&keywords=rowena+and+the+dark+lord"><span style="color: blue; font-family: Calibri;">http://www.amazon.com/Rowena-Dark-Lord-Lands-ebook/dp/B00CIZZS70/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1367004079&sr=8-3&keywords=rowena+and+the+dark+lord</span></a><span class="MsoHyperlink"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-CA"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">And the one that started it all: <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">ROWENA THROUGH THE WALL</b>, book 1 in the
Land’s End series<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-CA"><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Rowena-Through-Wall-Expanded-ebook/dp/B007B4Q868/ref=sr_1_3?s=digital-text&ie=UTF8&qid=1367012382&sr=1-3"><span style="color: blue; font-family: Calibri;">http://www.amazon.com/Rowena-Through-Wall-Expanded-ebook/dp/B007B4Q868/ref=sr_1_3?s=digital-text&ie=UTF8&qid=1367012382&sr=1-3</span></a><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-CA"><o:p><span style="font-family: Calibri;"> </span></o:p></span></div>
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Lesley Diehlhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10552765934908042306noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-99100249239466295.post-62102371444932477732013-04-23T10:52:00.000-07:002013-04-28T07:38:25.807-07:00The Shared Psychology of Dieting and of Planning a Fictional Murder<div style="text-align: left;">
Today my guest is Janet Greger and I am so excited to have her visit. Like me, she's a retired academic who has turned her skills and knowledge to writing mysteries. </div>
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A<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-fareast-font-family: Cambria; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-no-proof: yes;">s a biologist and professor
emerita of the University of Wisconsin-Madison, she enjoys putting tidbits of
science into her novels. She also includes Bug, her Japanese Chin and a
pet therapy dog, in her stories.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>They
live in the Southwest.</span></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/--55OV1ELh44/UXbGga-VoYI/AAAAAAAAAYQ/yfXhzZcjqCg/s1600/JanetAndBug.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/--55OV1ELh44/UXbGga-VoYI/AAAAAAAAAYQ/yfXhzZcjqCg/s320/JanetAndBug.jpg" width="236" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Janet and Chin<br />
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</tbody></table>
Janet's newest book is <em>Murder: A New Way to Lose Weight</em>. And no, it's not really a diet book, but read on and you'll see how it could be.<br />
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<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: Cambria;">Someone in this southwestern
medical school doesn’t like women. Two have been murdered already. At first,
Linda Almquist suspects the deaths are related to her investigation of Dr.
Richard Varegos, a “diet doctor.” He is alleged to be recklessly endangering
the lives of his obese research subjects. Maybe she’s wrong. The murders might
be related to something in the past – something involving her boss the Dean.
While Linda fears for her job, the police fear for her life.</span><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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And now here's Janet:<br />
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<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi;">I know that Lesley is a
psychologist by training so I tried to give this guest blog a psychology twist.
No, that’s not some sort of new drink? I’m going to demonstrate similarities
between dieting and plotting a fictional murder. (I don’t have any experience
plotting a real murder.)<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi;"><o:p></o:p></span> </div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi;">Why am I doing this?</span></b><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi;"> It’s because my new mystery/suspense novel is
called <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Murder: A New Way to Lose Weight</i></b>. The protagonist Linda
Almquist is struggling with change. She’s trying to lose weight and adjust to a
new job – being the interim associate dean of a medical school. Then she gets
dragged into the investigation of the murder of a “diet” doctor at the school.
And food, diets, and murder investigations get hopelessly mixed up.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi;"><o:p> </o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi;">Let’s get back to diet and
plotting fictional murders.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi;">Rule 1 of Dieting</span></b><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi;">: You can’t eat what your hand can’t reach to
put in your mouth. Please note in the first chapter of <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Murder: A New Way to Lose Weight</i></b>
Linda has just cleared her office of all goodies. If you want to lose weight,
you should do the same. Don’t buy high calorie snacks and desserts. You know
the stuff that you just can’t stop eating - potato chips, cookies, etc. If you
want the crunch, eat celery, radish, and carrots sticks. (I know they don’t
taste as good.)<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi;"><o:p> </o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi;">Similarly, you can’t kill
someone without a weapon. It doesn’t have to be a gun, a knife, or your hands
trained to do karate chops. Do you realize you could find hundred of ways to kill
someone with the items in a medical school? And many of the drugs and chemicals
are hard to detect, at least if the medical examiner, isn’t looking for signs
of murder. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi;"><o:p> </o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi;">Part of the fun of <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Murder:
A New Way to Lose Weight</i></b> is all the new things you’ll learn about
“poisons.” And the science behind them is real. (At one point in my career I
was an associate dean in a medical school.)<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi;"><o:p> </o:p></span></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi;">Rule 2 of Dieting</span></b><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi;">: Exercise more. Many forget that walking is
exercise. Instead of calling people, Linda Almquist walks to their offices
because she thinks they’re less apt to say no to her requests. She also likes
to see problems first hand. You might find ways to sit less and walk more at
work, too.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi;"><o:p> </o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi;">Did you know you could walk
two or three miles or more without ever going outside or retracing your steps
in many med schools? They’re real mazes. As you follow Linda down long,
sometime darkened, corridors, you’ll see a medical school is a lot more than
patient rooms and clinics. The suspects know all the passageways, too. So
there’s plenty of action.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi;">Rule 3 of Dieting</span></b><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi;">: Choose your dining partners carefully. It’s
easier to eat less when those with you are also eating less. Linda doesn’t do a
good job of selecting lunch partner, especially Al Diaz, the cop who loves
Hurricane burritos. But you’ll get a tour of actual restaurants in Albuquerque
in <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Murder:
A New Way to Lose Weight</i></b>. And Albuquerque has lots of great
southwestern cooking.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi;"><o:p> </o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi;">As the plot writhes along,
you’ll discover that the villain(s) (left unnamed for you to discover) also may
not have selected reliable cohorts, but the cast of characters are colorful
and, perhaps unfortunately, believable.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi;"><o:p> </o:p></span></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi;">Rule 4 of Dieting</span></b><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi;">: Be patient. Keep at your diet. You have to eat
500 calories less than you expend every day for a week to lose a pound. That
means it could take a couple of months to lose ten pounds. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi;"><o:p> </o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi;">Several characters in <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Murder:
A New Way to Lose Weight</i></b><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"> </i>have
kept secrets (or grudges) for as long as thirty years. Now that’s patience. And
Linda and the police are afraid if they don’t uncover these secrets, she may be
next.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi;"><o:p> </o:p></span></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi;">Did I convince you of similarities between
dieting and plotting a fictional murder? </span></b><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi;">Hope so.<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"> </b>To learn more,
read <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Murder:
A New Way to Lose Weight</i></b> and its prequel <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Coming Flu</i></b>. Both are
available on Amazon.<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><o:p></o:p></b></span></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi;">Sales link for <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Murder: A New Way to Lose Weight</i></span></b><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi;">: </span><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Murder-New-Way-Lose-Weight/dp/1610090624/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1365534310&sr=1-1&keywords=Murder+A+New+Way+to+Lose+Weight"><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi;"><span style="color: blue;">http://www.amazon.com/Murder-New-Way-Lose-Weight/dp/1610090624/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1365534310&sr=1-1&keywords=Murder+A+New+Way+to+Lose+Weight</span></span></a><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi;">Sales link for <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Coming Flu</i></span></b><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi;">:
http://www.amazon.com/Coming-Flu-J-L-Greger/dp/1610090985/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1365543761&sr=1-1&keywords=Coming+Flu<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi;">Teaser for <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Coming
Flu</i></span></b><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi;"> (the prequel): <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi;">A new, mysterious flu strain
kills more than two hundred in less than a week in the small walled community
near the Rio Grande. The rest face a bleak future under quarantine. One of the
residents Sara Almquist, as a medical epidemiologist, pries into every aspect
of her neighbors’ lives looking for ways to stop the spread of the flu. She
finds promising clues – maybe one too many? Not all her neighbors are what they
appear to be.</span><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; mso-bidi-font-family: Verdana;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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Lesley Diehlhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10552765934908042306noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-99100249239466295.post-18392030961588875022013-04-21T01:00:00.000-07:002013-04-21T06:22:06.883-07:00A Short Story Genius<br />
Today I have someone on my blog who is special. I met Gary Hoffman in the Okeechobee Writers League and was swept away by his skill in writing short stories. Not only did I and the other members of the group think so, but publication in numerous magazines and ezines, was well as anthologies attest to his skill.<br />
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<span style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Gary lives
and writes in Okeechobee, Florida.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He
has published work in THEMA, Homestead Review, Woman's World, Mystical-e, and
roughly fifty other periodicals.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He has
won over a hundred awards for short stories in contests, in one case winning
four of the eight possible places.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He
has attended workshops for Ozarks Creative Writer's and Florida Writer's
Association.<o:p></o:p></span><br />
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<span style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">His short story
collection, <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">I haven’t Lost My
Marbles:<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>They Just All Rolled to One
Side,</i> is now available and published by Mockingbird Lane Press.</span></div>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-PqYpmOxElyc/UXBE8sqHW2I/AAAAAAAAAX4/Kjy4F9k9fiw/s1600/Im000020.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-PqYpmOxElyc/UXBE8sqHW2I/AAAAAAAAAX4/Kjy4F9k9fiw/s1600/Im000020.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Gary at work </td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-OZpmldr9LaU/UXBE_IY7HNI/AAAAAAAAAYA/SV8j8UG5LZI/s1600/photo.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-OZpmldr9LaU/UXBE_IY7HNI/AAAAAAAAAYA/SV8j8UG5LZI/s320/photo.JPG" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Gary's newest book<br />
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<span style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><o:p>Welcome, Gary. I'm glad you could take time away from creating your memorable stories.</o:p></span></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt;">You mostly write
short stories.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Why?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>What do you think the advantages are of
writing short stories over novel length tales?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span></span></b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt;">I
may work on a short story for a month before I send it out.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It may take a year or more to write a novel
and them it gets rejected after an editor has had it for six or seven months. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>A short story may be seen by six or more
editors in the same length of time.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>My
short story can be sent out again as soon as I get it back.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And if I think I’ve got a good story, it
won’t sit around long between rejection and resubmission. Many times the same
day.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I may also lack the patience to
write a full length novel, although I have done it.<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><o:p></o:p></b></span></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt;">Which do you
like writing best?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Dialogue or
description?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Why? </span></b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt;">Definitely
dialogue.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>When I’m reading anything and
get to long sections of description, I usually skip over them.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Dialogue is where the story happens.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>That’s where the action is.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It’s what moves your story.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I have written two thousand word stories with
maybe fifty words that weren’t dialogue.<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><o:p></o:p></b></span></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt;">You’re a
published writer of short stories.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Did
you find it difficult to find publishers for your work?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt;">No.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Many small presses today are into anthologies or collections by one
author.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Many of the same magazines that
have been around for some time are also still going strong—ex. <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Ellery Queen Mystery Magazine, Woman’s World,
Storyteller.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></i>I’m not saying the
markets just jump out at you.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>You have
to dig and keep on top of current trends to see who is printing what and in
what genres.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Duotrope.com is a great web
site for this<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><o:p></o:p></b></span></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt;">You’ve been in a
number of writers’ groups.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>What do you
find useful about these groups for your writing?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Are there disadvantages to writers’ groups?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt;">Finding a writer’s group that fits you
is like finding a mate or spouse.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>If you
find one that works, hang on for dear life.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Probably 99.9% of the groups I’ve checked out are not really right for
me.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And have a thick skin when you do
find one.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It’s tough to listen to
someone else cut apart your “baby” when you’ve got a lot of sweat, blood, and
beer into it.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Many of the people I’ve
met in writer’s groups have never submitted anything in their life.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>To me, a person doesn’t earn the right to
call themselves a writer unless they have some rejection slips.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>They’re just pretending.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>If I ever started a writer’s group of my own,
the ticket for submission would be publication or at least ten rejection
notices.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Some of the disadvantages are
getting feedback that is worthless when people are just trying to be nice.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I’m not looking for nice.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I’m looking for help.<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><o:p></o:p></b></span></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt;">What’s your scheme for marketing your work?</span></b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Keep submitting.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I’ve told people for years now that I have
found a guaranteed way to get short stories published.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Submit!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Over and over <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>and over again if
necessary.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>My record right now is
submitting one story seventeen times before it was published and then the
editor raved over it.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Just because on
editor rejects it doesn’t mean the next one might fall in love with it.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Maybe the rejecting editor had a bad night or
is hung-over.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>They’re only human and
usually have a monster slush pile to work on.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>(They need to be hooked in the first sentence or two.)<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I usually submit a story about six times (different
markets) before I revise it.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I submit to
a theory by Lawrence Block on revising.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Revising takes the “freshness” from a story. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>His book <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Telling
Lies For Fun and Profit </i>is a great guide for the short story business.<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><o:p></o:p></b></span></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt;">You’ve lived in a number of places.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>One was Missouri, the other rural
Florida.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>How have these places
influenced your writing?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Has living in
Florida changed your writing in anyway?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt;">I don’t think
so.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It just gives me a broader area to
choose characters and places.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Sitting in
front of a computer is sitting in front of a computer, regardless of what’s
outside the window.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt;"><o:p> </o:p></span></b></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt;">Your short stories are often both humorous and
poignant with unusual endings.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Where do
you get your ideas?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Can you compare your
writing to any other authors’?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt;">If I am
influenced by any other author, it might be Robert Parker.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I love his simple sentence structure and
short, terse answers to questions.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Where
I get my ideas could be a whole other book.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Ideas can’t be taught.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>They come from
everywhere around you.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>If you aren’t
paying attention to the world around you, ideas are gonna be darn tough to come
by.<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><o:p></o:p></b></span></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt;">Pretend I am
your literary fairy godmother.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>What
three wishes related to writing would you like me to grant you? <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt;">Only one.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>A muse that never takes a vacation.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Everything else should take care of itself.<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><o:p></o:p></b></span></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt;">When you write
do you use incidents from your past to create your stories?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>If so, do you usually write from the
difficult times or from your happy moments?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span></span></b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt;">Yes,
of course I use incidents from my past.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>That’s a whole warehouse of ideas.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>If you put difficult times to happy times on a 1 to 10 scale, I have hit
every number, although happy or quirky usually wins.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>If I wrote a story that makes me laugh or
cry, I think I’ve done well.<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><o:p></o:p></b></span></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt;">Would you ever
like to write a novel length story?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>If
so, what do you imagine this story to be about?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Mainstream fiction, adventure, suspense, mystery?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt;">I have written novel length
stories.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Eight of them, I think.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>All mysteries.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Nothing published.<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><o:p></o:p></b></span></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt;">It’s probably
true that readers know more about authors who write novel length fiction, but
since you write short stories, can you tell us who among the writers of short
stories you most admire and why?</span></b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>There is a writer who lives, writes and teaches writing in Mississippi.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>His name is John Floyd.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He has four or five collections of his short
stories published.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Also he publishes,
repeatedly, in magazines where I aspire to be published.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>.It almost seems like he has his own monthly
column in some magazines.<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><o:p></o:p></b></span></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt;">Who and what do
you read?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt;">Oh, my.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>No set person, no set genre.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>If I start a story or novel and it hooks me
on the first page, I read it—mystery, romance, literary.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>If it’s to my liking, I read it.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I do like Harlan Cobin’s mystery novels and
most of Grisham’s.<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><o:p></o:p></b></span></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt;">Where do your
characters come from?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Do you take any
from your own life?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt;">I take many on
them from my past, but many of them may just come from someone I meet or happen
to observe.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>One time, I overheard a
truck driver in a truck stop restaurant.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>He was ranting about his co-driver.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Turned into a good short story.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><o:p></o:p></b></span></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt;">When did you
know you wanted to become a writer?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt;">No specific
time.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I actually did win a short story
contest when I was ten years old, and that was many moons ago.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I’ve always had ideas about writing something
and really only had the time to pursue them after I retired.<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><o:p></o:p></b></span></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt;">Writers often
say they love writing, but hate promoting themselves.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>How do you feel about this?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Give an idea of what you do to promote
yourself.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt;">I have to be in
the bottom 1% of self-promotion.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It’s
kind of like when I was in the business of buying and selling.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>(Ex.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>American Pickers on the History Channel.)<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Selling was a necessary evil so I could go
out and buy more.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Buying, negotiating,
and hunting were the best part of that business.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Writing is the best part of this business,
but if I don’t sell, I just end up with a giant bunch of files in my computer.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I usually self promote if someone asks me
to—like right now.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Thanks for the
opportunity, Lesley.<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><o:p></o:p></b></span></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt;">The ebook
revolution seems to be upon us.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>How do
you see ebooks in your writing life?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I really don’t see them as having much of an
impact on me.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The books I have published
are out as ebooks, but they do worse than the hard copies, maybe one ebook to
fifteen hardcopies.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt;">Thanks for joining us, Gary.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt;">So all you novel length </span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt;">writers out there, have you ever tried your hand at short stories? How do you like writing short?</span></div>
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Lesley Diehlhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10552765934908042306noreply@blogger.com14tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-99100249239466295.post-12296341699555703062013-04-06T17:40:00.000-07:002013-04-06T17:40:19.856-07:00A Visit with Jean Henry MeadToday we talk with a writer who is not only an expert at writing mysteries, but also a well-known supporter of other mystery writers. She's long been a favorite of mine because of her Logan and Cafferty mystery series featuring senior sleuths who are two sixty plus amateur snoops with real insight into human nature and a zest for adventure. In additon, she compiled a book featuring interviews and advice from some of our best mystery writers about writing and promoting the genre. <em>The Mystery Writers: Interview and Advice </em>is a must have for all mystery and suspense writers and readers. I've asked her a few questions about her newest mystery based upon actual events.<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-2sIZMZ9YKcs/UWC7c7koFhI/AAAAAAAAAXo/CFqV88gMl6k/s1600/000_Untitled.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-2sIZMZ9YKcs/UWC7c7koFhI/AAAAAAAAAXo/CFqV88gMl6k/s1600/000_Untitled.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Jean Henry Mead<br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 14pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin;">Jean Henry Mead is a
national award-winning journalist who has served as a news, magazine and small
press editor. The author of 19 books, half of them novels, she writes the Logan
& Cafferty mystery/suspense series, Hamilton Kids’ mysteries, Wyoming
historical novels and nonfiction history and interview books. She also compiled
and edited three interview and writing advice books, The <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Mystery Writers,</i> <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Mysterious
Writers </i>and<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"> Maverick Writers</i>.</span><br />
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<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Rn2oXgMML8s/UWC7ZPzQ75I/AAAAAAAAAXk/qu4AUptcrso/s1600/000_Untitled%25281%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Rn2oXgMML8s/UWC7ZPzQ75I/AAAAAAAAAXk/qu4AUptcrso/s1600/000_Untitled%25281%2529.jpg" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 14pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin;">The first two
chapters of <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">No Escape, The Sweetwater
Tragedy</i> can be read online at: <a href="http://www.amazon.com/No-Escape-A-Sweetwater-Tragedy/dp/1931415412/ref=sr_1_sc_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1364417440&sr=8-2-spell&keywords=No+Escpape%2C+the+Sweetwater+Tragedy">http://www.amazon.com/No-Escape-A-Sweetwater-Tragedy/dp/1931415412/ref=sr_1_sc_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1364417440&sr=8-2-spell&keywords=No+Escpape%2C+the+Sweetwater+Tragedy</a></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 14pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin;"></span> </div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 14pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin;"></span> </div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 14pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin;"></span> </div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 14pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin;">Meet Jean Henry Mead</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 14pt;">You have a new book out, <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">No Escape, the Sweetwater Tragedy</i>.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I understand it’s based upon a true life
double murder.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>What inspired you to take
this direction in your writing?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 14pt;">I
combined two of the genres I’ve already been writing in— mysteries and
historicals. While I was researching a nonfiction centennial history book, I
came across microfilmed newspaper articles written in 1889 about a young couple
hanged by cattlemen who wanted their homestead land. The lynchers spread lies
about them, saying that Ellen and James Averell were running a rural bawdy
house and accepting rustled cattle for Ellen’s “services.” A later article said
that James was an honest and honorable man who had served until his death as
postmaster and justice of the peace in Sweetwater Valley, Wyoming. So I decided
then that I would research the murders and write a book about them one day.
That was nearly 30 years ago.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 14pt;"><o:p> </o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 14pt;">Is using a real
event something that makes writing the book easier or more difficult?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 14pt;">It’s
easier because the plot is already laid out for you. But research can be
difficult, as in the case of <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">No Escape</i>,
because it took many years to uncover the truth, and I was only able to
complete my research after reading a nonfiction book written by George Hufsmith,
who had been commissioned to write an opera about the hangings. Hufsmith became
so obsessed with the hangings that he spent the next 20 years researching and interviewing
residents of Sweetwater Valley, who had accurate knowledge of the Averell
murders.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 14pt;">Do you intend to
use this approach in future books?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 14pt;">I
may write more Wyoming historical novels, including the Johnson County War and
the rough and lawless railroad town of Casper, where my husband and I lived for
some time. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 14pt;">You have a
number of mysteries featuring senior sleuths.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>In fact, you are famous for promoting and publicizing other writers who
feature seniors as protagonists.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Is
there something to favor an older sleuth in a mystery?.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Do you also find there are limitations to
what you can do with a senior sleuth?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 14pt;">Not
really. My protagonists, Dana Logan and Sarah Cafferty, are 60 years old and
still active and able to do nearly everything their younger counterparts can accomplish,
with the exception of skateboarding and climbing tall buildings. I write about
older women because I’m one myself. A couple of reviewers have called my
mystery novels old-fashioned because there’s no explicit sex or foul language
other than an occasional “damn” or “hell.” But older readers say they like my
Logan & Cafferty series for that reason and the fact that Dana and Sarah
are out traveling in a motorhome instead sitting around in rocking chairs
watching the grass grow.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 14pt;">What is unique
in your background that you bring to creating your work?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>How long have you been writing and how did
you get started?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 14pt;">I
don’t know if you would consider it unique that I started my writing career as
a news reporter while I was editor-in-chief of my college newspaper. I wrote my
first novel when I was nine to entertain classmates but got into journalism in
high school. I worked for three newspapers in California and Wyoming, then
freelanced for magazines domestically as well as abroad. After five of my nonfiction
books saw print, I decided to write my first novel. The result was <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Escape: A Wyoming Historical Novel,</i>
which required ten years of research and writing before it was first published.
It’s been published by three companies and is still my best selling book.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 14pt;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Everyone talks about the ebook
revolution.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>How has it affected your
work?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 14pt;">My
first novel was published as an ebook in 1999, which, at that time, was on a
CD. The first ebook reader was bulky and clumsy and few people were buying
them. It wasn’t until about five years ago that ebooks were taken seriously and
we all know that they have nearly caused the demise of print books. That’s sad,
but my ebook sales have increased dramatically, outselling my print books by at
least 20-1.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 14pt;">You’ve been
published by a number of small publishers.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>What do you like about a small press?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 14pt;">I’ve
been published by ten publishers, including Poisoned Pen Press, Pruett and
Caxton; small presses and regional publishers. I like the freedom afforded
because they consult with authors about book covers and other aspects of
publishing and marketing.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 14pt;">How do you think
writers can support one another as they vie for attention in this competitive
market?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 14pt;">I
publicize other authors on my blog site, <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Mysterious
Writers</i>. I’ve interviewed debut novelists as well as bestsellers such as
Sue Grafton and Elmore Leonard, who have given advice to fledgling authors.
I’ve also taken part in blog tours with other writers and hosted them on my
blog sites.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 14pt;"><o:p> </o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 14pt;">What research do
you do for your books?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 14pt;">Whatever’s
needed. I usually conduct research in advance and then spoon in additional
research as I write. I also write about areas where I’ve lived or traveled. I
never write off the top of my head because readers will catch your mistakes if
you don’t research and write accurately. I’ve written about horses in two of my
novels, which I knew very little about. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>But
because of my extensive research,<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I was
rewarded when a horse rancher-reader said that I must have horses of my own.
That made my day!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 14pt;">What advice can
you give to a new writer?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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</span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 14pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin;">Never submit a manuscript until it’s the best
you’re capable of writing. When you write “the end” to your work, place it in a
drawer for a few weeks. Then take it out and read it as though someone else had
written it. Edit and polish again before you query a publisher. You only get
one chance to make a first impression.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 14pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin;"></span> </div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 14pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin;"></span> </div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 14pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin;">Thanks Jean. I hope you can come back to visit soon and good luck with your new book.</span></div>
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Lesley Diehlhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10552765934908042306noreply@blogger.com13tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-99100249239466295.post-634439865615417062013-03-09T13:00:00.000-08:002013-03-09T19:06:28.210-08:00Dangerous Impulses: Marilyn Meredith's newest bookIt's been a while since I posted, so I wanted this post to be a great one. I think I've got a winner here. Marilyn Meredith is on a blog tour to promote her newest book, <em>Dangerous Impulses</em>. She was gracious enough to include my blog in her tour. If you're not familair with her, I think you'll find her a person of great accomplishment as well as an author who knows how to get the word out on her work, and she does it with humor and in a personal manner. She has many fans. Not only am I one of them, but she's a role model for what an author can do to promote herself. So read on and get to know her.<br />
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<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-EPn2zbJH2ts/UTpRXvfA_TI/AAAAAAAAAXQ/raehsao0ank/s1600/DAngerousImpulses,NewCover.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-EPn2zbJH2ts/UTpRXvfA_TI/AAAAAAAAAXQ/raehsao0ank/s320/DAngerousImpulses,NewCover.jpg" width="213" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt;">Being an Author
These Days<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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Of course I’m going to speak for myself, any other author
who decides to leave a comment, be sure and tell what it’s like for you.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt;">First, I’ll tell
you I don’t have an agent. There is no one who goes out looking for the best publishing
deal for me—I’ve done it for myself. Oh, I’ve had several agents in the long
ago past and no one ever did anything for my books. In fact, I don’t think they
even tried very hard.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt;">My first book
was accepted by a New York publisher and if I’d known anything at all about
this business—which I didn’t—that’s when I should have found an agent to help
negotiate the contract. But I didn’t. Back when I started, there was no
Internet with groups you could go to that could help you learn what to do as there
is now.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt;">I stumbled and
bumbled about, got tangled up with a couple of crooked publishers—learned what
to look out for—and eventually ended up with the small press I’m with now for
my Rocky Bluff P.D crime novels, Oak Tree Press. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt;">And the second
biggie is, I don’t have a publicist. I am my own publicist. Because of that and
the fact that there seems to be fewer hours in a day now, I probably miss some
things I could be doing.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt;">What I am doing:
<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt;">This blog tour.
Blog tours are a lot of work—I’ve paid for them before and believe me, the tour
companies truly earn their money.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt;">Of course I’m on
Facebook and Twitter—I use Facebook the most and I’m on several groups located
on Facebook where I let people know what’s happening with my books.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt;">I’m on several
listserves.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt;">I sell my books
at craft and author fairs and book festivals.</span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-Pmg7oQy1Y6s/UTpQBs0OWvI/AAAAAAAAAXI/2QGD39FWh3g/s1600/Meatthelibrary.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-Pmg7oQy1Y6s/UTpQBs0OWvI/AAAAAAAAAXI/2QGD39FWh3g/s320/Meatthelibrary.JPG" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Marilyn at a library program</td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt;">I usually go to
two writers or mystery cons a year. This year it’s EpiCon and the Public Safety
Writers Association’s conference.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt;">And I do anything
else that might crop up during the year.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt;">I love giving
talks and workshops about all phases of writing, so if anyone asks and it’s not
too far away, I accept.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt;">What I don’t do
is a lot of physical socializing. I don’t belong to community clubs or go to a
lot of parties. Writing and promoting takes a lot of time which means spending
several hours a day in front of the computer.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt;">Am I famous and
well-known? No. I do have my fans that follow both my series. When someone
tells me how much they enjoyed one of my books, that’s a great feeling.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt;">And the question
I’m often asked, “Do you make a lot of money?”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt;">The simple
answer is “No.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt;">This answer is
usually followed by, “Then, why do you do it?”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt;">Because I can’t
stop. I love writing, it is an addiction.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt;">In the case of
the Rocky Bluff P.D. series, I always want to know what is going to happen next
to my characters. They’ve become such a part of me, that I want to see where
life is going to take them next—and the only way that can happen is if I write
the next book.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt;">That next book
is <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Dangerous
Impulses</i></b>:<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt;">An attractive
new-hire captivates Officer Gordon Butler, Officer Felix Zachary’s wife Wendy
is befuddled by her new baby, Ryan and Barbara Strickland receive unsettling
news about her pregnancy, while the bloody murder of a mother and her son and
an unidentified drug that sickens teenaged partiers jolts the Rocky Bluff P.D.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt;">Contest</span></i></b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt;">:<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt;">The person who
comments on the most blog posts on this tour may have a character named after
him or her in the next Rocky Bluff P.D. crime novel or choose a book from the
previous titles in the Rocky Bluff P.D. series in either paper or for Kindle.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt;">Rocky Bluff P.D.
Series:<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt;">Though each book
in the Rocky Bluff P.D. series is written as a stand-alone, I know there are
people who like to read a series in order. From the beginning to the end:<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt;">Final Respects<o:p></o:p></span></i></b></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt;">Bad Tidings<o:p></o:p></span></i></b></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt;">Fringe Benefits<o:p></o:p></span></i></b></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt;">Smell of Death<o:p></o:p></span></i></b></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt;">No Sanctuary<o:p></o:p></span></i></b></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt;">An Axe to Grind<o:p></o:p></span></i></b></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt;">Angel Lost<o:p></o:p></span></i></b></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt;">No Bells<o:p></o:p></span></i></b></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt;">Dangerous
Impulses<o:p></o:p></span></i></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%;">F. M. Meredith’s Bio:<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt;">F.M. is also
known as Marilyn Meredith, the author of the Deputy Tempe Crabtree series. She
first became interested in writing about law enforcement when she lived in a
neighborhood filled with police officers and their families. The interest was
fanned when her daughter married a police officer and the tradition has
continued with a grandson and grandson-in-law who are deputies. She’s also
serves on the board of the Public Safety Writers Association, and has many
friends in different law enforcement fields. For twenty plus years, she and her
husband lived in a small beach community located in Southern California much
like the fictional Rocky Bluff. She is a member of three chapters of Sisters in
Crime, Epic, and Mystery Writers of America.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt;">Webpage: </span><a href="http://fictionforyou.com/"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt;"><span style="color: blue;">http://fictionforyou.com/</span></span></a><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt;">Blog: </span><a href="http://marilynmeredith.blogspot.com/"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt;"><span style="color: blue;">http://marilynmeredith.blogspot.com/</span></span></a><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt;">And I’m on
Facebook and Twitter as MarilynMeredith<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt;">And tomorrow
you’ll find me here </span><a href="http://lornacollins-author.blogspot.com/"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt;"><span style="color: blue;">http://lornacollins-author.blogspot.com/</span></span></a><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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How to buy Marilyn's book: Just hit this button. <a href="http://tinyurl.com/byxomtk" title="http://tinyurl.com/byxomtk"><b><span style="color: blue;"><span style="color: blue; font-weight: bold;">http://tinyurl.com/byxomtk</span></span></b></a><o:p></o:p>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: small;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt;"><o:p> </o:p></span></span></div>
<br />Lesley Diehlhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10552765934908042306noreply@blogger.com20tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-99100249239466295.post-58997609903185877262012-12-10T06:22:00.000-08:002012-12-10T06:22:07.363-08:00The Next Big Thing: Another Sassy Gal
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<span style="color: #0d0d0d; font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-themecolor: text1; mso-themetint: 242;">I was tagged by Linda Reilly to participate in The Next Big
Thing, a blog event asking writers to talk about their works in progress.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>In turn, I have tagged other writers who will
blog next week about their manuscripts.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>You
can find their answers to the ten questions by going to their blogs.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>These are the authors I tagged for next week:<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<span style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt;">Gregg E. Brickman, author of ILLEGALLY DEAD, IMPERFECT CONTRACT,
and the upcoming IMPERFECT DADDY, featuring clever and edgy nurses. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Find at </span><a href="http://greggebrickman.wordpress.com/" title="http://greggebrickman.wordpress.com/"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt;"><span style="color: blue;">http://greggebrickman.wordpress.com</span></span></a><span style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt;"><o:p></o:p></span><br />
<br />
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<span style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt;">Glenn E. Nilson, author of <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Murder
on Route 66</i>.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Visit his blog at </span><a href="http://glennnilson.blogspot.com/"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt;"><span style="color: blue;">http://glennnilson.blogspot.com</span></span></a><span style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt;"> <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt;">I’m happy to talk about my newest project.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #0d0d0d; font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-themecolor: text1; mso-themetint: 242;">1.What
is your working title of your book? <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><o:p></o:p></i></span></div>
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="color: #0d0d0d; font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-themecolor: text1; mso-themetint: 242;">A
Secondhand Murder</span></i><span style="color: #0d0d0d; font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-themecolor: text1; mso-themetint: 242;"><br style="mso-special-character: line-break;" />
<br style="mso-special-character: line-break;" />
</span><span style="color: #0d0d0d; font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-themecolor: text1; mso-themetint: 242;">2. Where did the idea
come from for the book?<br style="mso-special-character: line-break;" />
<br style="mso-special-character: line-break;" />
</span><span style="color: #0d0d0d; font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-themecolor: text1; mso-themetint: 242;">It came from two
sources.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>First, in 2009 I wasthe winner
of the Mystery Writers of America Florida Chapter Sleuthfest short story
contest.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The story was entitled “Gator
Aid” and featured a protagonist named Eve who was tall, skinny, blonde and very
in-your-face.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Her sidekick Madeleine was
a polite, shy, laid-back writer of children’s stories.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I loved the two of them so much I felt their
partnership merited a full-length story, so I moved Eve permanently to Florida
from Connecticut and made her Madeleine’s business associate.<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="color: #0d0d0d; font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-themecolor: text1; mso-themetint: 242;"></span><br />
<span style="color: #0d0d0d; font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-themecolor: text1; mso-themetint: 242;">Because I love
consignment shops and yard sales, I chose to put them in the consignment shop
business, but with a twist.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>They run a
shop in rural Florida where the matrons of West Palm go to see the country life
and to buy and sell their clothes at a place where their friends won’t know
they’re earning a little extra money, necessary because of their husbands’
losses to Bernie Madoff and his like.<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="color: #0d0d0d; font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-themecolor: text1; mso-themetint: 242;"></span><br />
<span style="color: #0d0d0d; font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-themecolor: text1; mso-themetint: 242;">3. What genre does your
book fall under?<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="color: #0d0d0d; font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-themecolor: text1; mso-themetint: 242;"></span><br />
<span style="color: #0d0d0d; font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-themecolor: text1; mso-themetint: 242;">This is a cozy mystery.
<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<br />
<span style="color: #0d0d0d; font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-themecolor: text1; mso-themetint: 242;">4. Which actors would you
choose to play your characters in a movie rendition?<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="color: #0d0d0d; font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-themecolor: text1; mso-themetint: 242;"></span><br />
<span style="color: #0d0d0d; font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-themecolor: text1; mso-themetint: 242;">This is a difficult one
because the ole of Eve necessitates someone with real sass, and mst of the
actresses like that are older.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I guess
the only one I’d suggest would be Angelina Jolie.<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="color: #0d0d0d; font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-themecolor: text1; mso-themetint: 242;"></span><br />
<span style="color: #0d0d0d; font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-themecolor: text1; mso-themetint: 242;">5. What is the one-sentence synopsis of your book?<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="color: #0d0d0d; font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; mso-themecolor: text1; mso-themetint: 242;"></span><br />
<span style="color: #0d0d0d; font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; mso-themecolor: text1; mso-themetint: 242;">Selling clothing of once-wealthy, Madoff-injured society
matrons to the thrift-conscious in her rural Florida upscale consignment shop
seems like Eve Appel’s kind of therapy until she discovers the body of one of
her West Palm clients on the dressing room floor. <o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="color: #0d0d0d; font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-themecolor: text1; mso-themetint: 242;"></span><br />
<span style="color: #0d0d0d; font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-themecolor: text1; mso-themetint: 242;">6. Will your book be self-published or represented by an agency?<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="color: #0d0d0d; font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-themecolor: text1; mso-themetint: 242;"></span><br />
<span style="color: #0d0d0d; font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-themecolor: text1; mso-themetint: 242;">It will be published by
Camel Press in 2013.<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="color: #0d0d0d; font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-themecolor: text1; mso-themetint: 242;"></span><br />
<span style="color: #0d0d0d; font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-themecolor: text1; mso-themetint: 242;">7. How long did it take you to write the first draft of your manuscript?<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="color: #0d0d0d; font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-themecolor: text1; mso-themetint: 242;"></span><br />
<span style="color: #0d0d0d; font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-themecolor: text1; mso-themetint: 242;">The first draft took
about six to nine months.<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="color: #0d0d0d; font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-themecolor: text1; mso-themetint: 242;"></span><br />
<span style="color: #0d0d0d; font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-themecolor: text1; mso-themetint: 242;">8. What other books would you compare this story to within your genre?<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="color: #0d0d0d; font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-themecolor: text1; mso-themetint: 242;"></span><br />
<span style="color: #0d0d0d; font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-themecolor: text1; mso-themetint: 242;">Maybe Janet Evanovich’s
series—Blush, Blush.<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<br />
<span style="color: #0d0d0d; font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-themecolor: text1; mso-themetint: 242;">9. Who or what inspired you to write this book?<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="color: #0d0d0d; font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-themecolor: text1; mso-themetint: 242;"></span><br />
<span style="color: #0d0d0d; font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-themecolor: text1; mso-themetint: 242;">Winning the short story
contest happened before any of my other books had been published.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It convinced me I could write and gave me the
confidence to find a small press for my brewing series.<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="color: #0d0d0d; font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-themecolor: text1; mso-themetint: 242;"></span><br />
<span style="color: #0d0d0d; font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-themecolor: text1; mso-themetint: 242;">10. What else about your book might pique the reader's interest?<br style="mso-special-character: line-break;" />
</span><span style="color: #0d0d0d; font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-themecolor: text1; mso-themetint: 242;"></span><br />
<span style="color: #0d0d0d; font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-themecolor: text1; mso-themetint: 242;">What woman doesn’t like
bargain hunting especially with someone who has Eve’s impeccable taste?<o:p></o:p></span><br />
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Lesley Diehlhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10552765934908042306noreply@blogger.com15tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-99100249239466295.post-72675803686465106682012-11-23T03:00:00.000-08:002012-11-23T07:19:43.604-08:00Why I Became a Writer<br />
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<span style="color: black; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Today, a number of professional writers with
blogs have gotten together to write the same post “Why I Became a Writer.”
Please stop by any or all of their blogs to comment and find out what drives us
in our favorite obsession.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>My post
follows the links.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
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<span style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">John Brantingham and
Sunny Frazier <a href="http://johnbrantingham.blogspot.com/" target="_blank" title="http://johnbrantingham.blogspot.com/"><span style="color: blue;">http://johnbrantingham.blogspot.com/</span></a></span><span style="color: black; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><o:p> </o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Marta Chausee <a href="http://martachausee.blogspot.com/" target="_blank" title="http://martachausee.blogspot.com/"><span style="color: blue;">http://martachausee.blogspot.com/</span></a></span><span style="color: black; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><o:p> </o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-indent: 0in;">
<span style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">John Daniel <a href="http://johnmdaniel.blogspot.com/" target="_blank" title="http://johnmdaniel.blogspot.com/"><span style="color: blue;">http://johnmdaniel.blogspot.com/</span></a>.</span><span style="color: black; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><o:p> </o:p></span></div>
<br />
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<span style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Cora Ramos <a href="http://coraramos-cora.blogspot.com/" target="_blank" title="http://coraramos-cora.blogspot.com/"><span style="color: blue;">http://coraramos-cora.blogspot.com/</span></a></span><span style="color: black; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
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<span style="color: black; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><o:p> </o:p></span></div>
<br />
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<span style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Melodie Campbell <a href="http://funnygirlmelodie.blogspot.com/" target="_blank" title="http://funnygirlmelodie.blogspot.com/"><span style="color: blue;">http://funnygirlmelodie.blogspot.com/</span></a></span><span style="color: black; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
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<span style="color: black; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><o:p> </o:p></span></div>
<br />
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<span style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Lesley Diehl <a href="http://anotherdraught.blogspot.com/" target="_blank" title="http://anotherdraught.blogspot.com/"><span style="color: blue;">http://anotherdraught.blogspot.com</span></a>
</span><span style="color: black; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><o:p> </o:p></span></div>
<br />
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<span style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Jim Callan <a href="http://www.jamesrcallan.com/blog" title="http://www.jamesrcallan.com/blog"><span style="color: blue;">www.jamesrcallan.com/blog</span></a><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><o:p> </o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Chris Swinney <a href="http://clswinney.com/" target="_blank" title="http://clswinney.com/"><span style="color: blue;">http://clswinney.com</span></a><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><o:p> </o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">John Lewis <a href="http://www.facebook.com/l.php?u=http://www.lions-post.blogspot.com/&h=7AQH6J5jj" target="_blank" title="http://www.facebook.com/l.php?u=http://www.lions-post.blogspot.com/&h=7AQH6J5jj"><span style="color: #3b5998;">http://www.Lions-post.blogspot.com</span></a></span><span style="color: black; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><o:p> </o:p></span></div>
<br />
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<span style="background: white; color: black; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Stephen Brayton </span><span style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><a href="http://www.stephenbrayton.com/" target="_blank" title="http://www.stephenbrayton.com/"><span style="background: white; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";"><span style="color: blue;">www.stephenbrayton.com</span></span></a><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><o:p> </o:p></span></div>
<br />
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<span style="color: black; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Carole Avila<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span></span><span style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><a href="http://caroleavilablog.wordpress.com/" target="_blank" title="http://caroleavilablog.wordpress.com/"><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";"><span style="color: blue;">http://caroleavilablog.wordpress.com/</span></span></a><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt;">Augie Hicks <a href="http://augiecorner.blogspot.com/" target="_blank" title="http://augiecorner.blogspot.com/"><span style="color: blue;">http://augiecorner.blogspot.com</span></a></span><span style="color: black; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><o:p> </o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt;"><strong>Why I Became a
Writer or</strong></span></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt; text-align: center; text-indent: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt;"><strong>Why What’s Good
for the Writer is not Always Good for the Reader<o:p></o:p></strong></span></div>
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt;"><o:p> </o:p></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt;">If I tell you I was a psychologist and
college professor before I retired and took up writing murder mysteries, you
won’t be surprised if I admit I did so for purposes of revenge, that cathartic
release that comes with venting. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Psychologists
embrace catharsis because it’s assumed to be good for the psyche, cleans out
the cobwebs of anger, disgust, and dislike and allows the person to move on
emotionally.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>My first manuscript was one
in which the bad guys were the administrators and professors who “done me wrong”
all the years I was in higher education, a place that shares the competitiveness
and back-biting with most large businesses, but disguises those unsavory
elements by purporting to be a learning environment.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We educators try to keep all that bad stuff a
secret.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt; text-indent: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt;">That manuscript didn’t even try to
disguise the identities of the people I sought to pillory.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It was never published (I’m so grateful).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I did learn from it, however.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>First, I found killing off people you don’t
like on paper is quiet satisfying, the more so because you never have to pay
for your crime.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>After over one hundred
thousand words of bile that I was wise enough to bind in humor, I felt a sense
of catharsis, but no feeling of accomplishment.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Catharsis for the writer is not always good reading.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It’s selfish.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>When I finally had the sense to wrap my characters in reality, give them
reasonable motivations for their behavior, forgive them their flaws by playing
them up to be funny and disguised them as characters, not the original
perpetrators of my anger and disgust, I realized the most important lesson of
all—I had a story.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It was a tale where I
trusted readers through my descriptions of events, characters interacting with
one another and a spritely plot to arrive at their own conclusions about how
much drawing and quartering should be directed at the now not-so-bad as
misdirected folks.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Oh yeah, the killer was
still a despicable person, but you’d never recognize the murderer as anyone of
my former colleagues.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt;">Here’s the second big thing I
learned.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>You’ll always find there is
someone in your life who will treat you unfairly and you’ll find
unpleasant.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>So why hold a grudge?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Simply write those situations into a story
and bump off the guy.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>There’s no need to
identify him as your next door neighbor or the woman in your exercise
class.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Allow, as I do, an alligator to
death roll the witch from the checkout line.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Whatever you do, transform your most hated enemy into a most
unforgettable character, but do it in such a way that all the anger is gone, and
the character is unrecognizable as someone you know or hated to know.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>You’ll have a heck of a good time writing it
all, and your reader will love you for it.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt; text-indent: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt;">No more catharsis for me.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Just fun writing.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
Lesley Diehlhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10552765934908042306noreply@blogger.com19tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-99100249239466295.post-84547735120612889232012-10-28T01:00:00.000-07:002012-10-28T01:00:09.950-07:00Happy Halloween from Fred<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
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<br />
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I wrote this last year, but in honor of Halloween and to
placate Fred, whom I have ignored all summer, I thought it was worth sharing
now.</div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-d3kSc6XAxCw/UIxZGlEq6HI/AAAAAAAAATo/uYuHh8WDfPM/s1600/100_0565_00.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-d3kSc6XAxCw/UIxZGlEq6HI/AAAAAAAAATo/uYuHh8WDfPM/s320/100_0565_00.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<br /></div>
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<br /></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
A Ghost Gone Wild!</div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Some of you may have met my resident ghost and literary muse
Fred.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Glenn and I were told when we
moved into our 1874 cottage on the Butternut Creek that a ghost inhabited the
old house, but we were mostly unaware of his presence until his pranks came
together one summer evening.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He ran the
stove out of gas, started my husband’s truck, and, when we ran back into the
house to get a fire extinguisher (Fred didn’t know the first thing about
engines and shorted out the starter motor) to put out the engine fire, he made
the doorknob fall off in our hands so we could not get into the house.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I thought Fred was quite the little
prankster.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
To be honest it was easier for me to assume a good-natured
ghost than to believe the tricks he played were the outcome of an unpleasant
and perhaps malevolent personality.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Did
I say that across the creek from us is the local cemetery?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Live across from dead people with an
unsettled ghost as a house guest and you kind of need to lighten things up when
it comes to unexplainable happenings.</div>
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<br /></div>
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We close down the cottage for the winter, so I don’t know
what Fred does those months, but I think he goes to visit relatives in the
south because my next door neighbor, who checks on the house while we’re gone,
has seen no evidence of him.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Fred is
shy, and I’ve heard ghosts could care less about temperature swings, but I
think he’d get very lonely in the house by himself all winter, and I can’t
imagine the folks planted across the stream are much company for him.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Since that summer night of Fred’s perfect storm, things have
been quiet around here.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I’ve tried to include
Fred in my life by mentioning him often on my blog and when I guest on others.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I also was under the impression that Fred and
I were friends, well, if not friends, then friendly or tolerant of one
another.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Perhaps I’m wrong to think one
can share housing with a ghost, call him my muse, and think there’s no price to
pay for cohabitation with a disembodied entity.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>I’ve assumed the ongoing battle with high water in the creek might have scared
the ectoplasm out of Fred, because he hasn’t been up to his usual tricks.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Or so I thought.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Every now and then, usually on the warmest nights of this
past summer, I’d come downstairs it the morning and find the electric fireplace
on, heating the living room to near ninety degrees.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I blamed the cats for stepping on the
remote.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Cats are desert animals, I told
myself.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>They like it hot.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Glenn and I laughed at how clever they
were.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Looking back now, I think the
giggling and assumption the cats were to blame, made Fred mad.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>But we continued to think our felines were
the culprits.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We found we were wrong
when Glenn was sitting next to the fireplace, and it came on!</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
The incidences came with greater frequency.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We woke up to a hot living room often.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Fred was getting annoying.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And then things began to go wrong, very wrong.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
At lunch last week, Glenn and I sat in our living room
having our noon tea and sandwiches.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The
digital camera lay on the hand carved Chinese bar behind Glenn.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The lens began to telescope in and out, over
and over again.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>When Glenn picked it up,
it was turned off, yet it continued the lens movement as if an unseen finger
was manipulating the lens button.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>There
was nothing we could do to stop it.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It
was off!</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
The other day I flipped on the fireplace because it was cold
in the living room.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I left and, when I
came back, the fire was off.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>No, it
wasn’t broken because I tried the remote on button, and it worked.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
I’m certain I’ve somehow offended Fred, and I’m at a loss
for how to make amends.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Perhaps I’ve
taken him for granted.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I’ve been writing
away all summer with little thought of whether Fred was happily sitting on my
shoulder inspiring me or not.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I just
forgot about him as my literary muse.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Perhaps
he’s more sensitive than I realized.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>If
the impending flood frightened him, perhaps I was remiss in not comforting him,
but how was I to know ghosts find water as threatening as do people.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Maybe they don’t.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
I know I’ve avoided getting to know him.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I’ve assumed his sense of humor defines him,
but I wouldn’t say that about a living person, would I?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>My entire relationship with Fred has been
built upon my sketchy of knowledge about his kind and, I’ll admit it, my
suspicion he really doesn’t exist.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I
simply used him, then dismissed him.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Ghosts may not take well to this kind of insensitivity especially since
they are here because they probably have unresolved issues from their own past
lives.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
At dinner last night while our favorite jazz album was
playing, a horrible sound emanated from the CD player.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It had to be Fred.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>In the past I would have said he wanted to
sing along and just couldn’t carry a tune.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Now I wonder if he’s trying to scare us.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>I need to find a way to cohabitate happily with my ghost.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I don’t want to lose his companionship, but
his unpredictability is creeping me out.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>I want Friendly Fred back in my life.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Note:<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>As many of you
know, early last fall, we experienced two tropical storms that left over three
feet of water in our basement.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Ghosts
may ignore cold weather, but I think they must hate floods because Fred has
been unexpectedly quiet this summer and fall.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Oops, I spoke too soon.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Someone
has been leaving the locked front door open for the last few nights.</div>
Lesley Diehlhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10552765934908042306noreply@blogger.com10tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-99100249239466295.post-21083817580630328292012-10-14T15:05:00.000-07:002012-10-14T15:05:32.554-07:00How stupid was that!<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-zbssDhK0DI0/UHswVsQ4duI/AAAAAAAAATQ/mtwnVjeyW6A/s1600/AngelSleuthFinal.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-zbssDhK0DI0/UHswVsQ4duI/AAAAAAAAATQ/mtwnVjeyW6A/s320/AngelSleuthFinal.jpg" width="213" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"> Cover of my mystery Angel Sleuth</td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
I've just returned from two book events at local libraries where my print books got their deserved attention, but my ebook did not. So you see the cover above and, yep, there's a pig there. And Untreedreads has also published my short story in their anthology <i>The Killer Wore Cranberry: A Second Helping. </i>And I must not leave out <i>Grilled, Chilled and Killed,</i> the second book in my Big Lake Murder Mystery Series after <i>Dumpster Dying</i>. There are pigs in there also.<br />
<br />
On the way to the event, while hubby was driving, I let my mind wander. That's always dangerous, but before I could help myself I started thinking about stupid things I've said over the years. Most of them are about writing. Because I have an exhibitionist soul, I thought I'd share them with you:<br />
<br />
1. Circa 1974 "I do" That lasted two years. No other comment necessary<br />
<br />
2. Circa 1979 "This computer thing will destroy a writer's creativity." Sorry, sorry, sorry.<br />
<br />
3. Circa 2009 While pitching to an agent at a conference "I don't care if I make money. I just love to write." Her reply, " I do care because I want to make money." Oops.<br />
<br />
4. Circa 2000 plus sometime "Ebooks? I love the feel of a book in my hand. Others may not." Now I wish I could wrest the ebook rights away from my publishers.<br />
<br />
<br />
5. Circa 2010 "Platform? I don't need a platform. I write fiction." Now I say I write about sassy country gals. Sorry, sorry, sorry.<br />
<br />
6. Circa 2011 Talking to hubby while he's in Gallup,NM while I'm in upstate New York. "How high can this water go anyway?" Basement pumped of three feet twice the next day.<br />
<br />
Still blushing, I'd like to know what you've said. Awe, c'mon, Do it. <br />
<br />
<br />Lesley Diehlhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10552765934908042306noreply@blogger.com17tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-99100249239466295.post-2258294254937425442012-10-10T07:34:00.000-07:002012-10-10T07:34:51.603-07:00Blog Blast: Blonde Demolition!Today I have something special for you. Meet author Chris Redding and read an excerpt from her newest book, <i>Blonde Demolition</i><br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-bUW66jrDW9w/UHWEll0nArI/AAAAAAAAASw/r4PiMo-f6Gc/s1600/Final_Color.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-bUW66jrDW9w/UHWEll0nArI/AAAAAAAAASw/r4PiMo-f6Gc/s320/Final_Color.jpg" width="212" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Author Chris Redding</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/--knSXUuVioo/UHWEsqVySYI/AAAAAAAAAS4/xgYtv3luQXc/s1600/BlondeDemolitionFrontwblurbfinal.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/--knSXUuVioo/UHWEsqVySYI/AAAAAAAAAS4/xgYtv3luQXc/s320/BlondeDemolitionFrontwblurbfinal.jpg" width="211" /></a></div>
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<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<a href="http://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=99100249239466295" name="OLE_LINK2"></a><a href="http://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=99100249239466295" name="OLE_LINK1"><span style="mso-bookmark: OLE_LINK2;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span lang="EN-CA" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-CA;">You just can't hide from the past...</span></i></span></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="mso-bookmark: OLE_LINK1;"><span style="mso-bookmark: OLE_LINK2;"><span style="font-family: Arial;">Mallory Sage lives in a small,
idyllic town where nothing ever happens. Just the kind of life she has always wanted.
No one, not even her fellow volunteer firefighters, knows about her past life
as an agent for Homeland Security.</span></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="mso-bookmark: OLE_LINK1;"><span style="mso-bookmark: OLE_LINK2;"><span style="font-family: Arial;">Former partner and lover, Trey
McCrane, comes back into Mallory's life. He believes they made a great team
once, and that they can do so again. Besides, they don't have much choice. Paul
Stanley, a twisted killer <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">and</i> their
old nemesis, is back. </span></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="mso-bookmark: OLE_LINK1;"><span style="mso-bookmark: OLE_LINK2;"><span style="font-family: Arial;">Framed for a bombing and drawn
together by necessity, Mallory and Trey go on the run and must learn to trust
each other again―if they hope to survive. But Mallory has been hiding another
secret, one that could destroy their relationship. And time is running out.</span></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span><span><span style="font-family: Arial;">Read an excerpt (very sexy)</span></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
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<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-indent: .3in;">
"You find
anything?"</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-indent: .3in;">
<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>"Maybe, we'll have to say our
goodbyes. How was Stanley?"</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-indent: .3in;">
<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>"One kick and he'd have been off the
balcony.<a href="http://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=99100249239466295" name="_GoBack"></a>"</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-indent: .3in;">
<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>"Was he looking for wife number four?"</div>
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<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>"No just my chest. When I asked about
a bigger role in the foundation, he might as well have told me not to worry my
pretty little head."</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-indent: .3in;">
<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>"And you didn't kick him for that?"
Trey chuckled as he put an arm around Mallory. He pulled her into another room
and pushed her against the wall. His lips came down hard again as his hands
traveled the length of her.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-indent: .3in;">
<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Her hormones betrayed her and chose that
moment to come alive. So her hands did an inventory of him. He was as hard as
she remembered.</div>
<br />
Read more . Go to<br />
<br />
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<br />
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<a href="http://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=99100249239466295" name="OLE_LINK4"></a><a href="http://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=99100249239466295" name="OLE_LINK3"></a><a href="http://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=99100249239466295" name="OLE_LINK2"></a><a href="http://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=99100249239466295" name="OLE_LINK1"><span style="mso-bookmark: OLE_LINK2;"><span style="mso-bookmark: OLE_LINK3;"><span style="mso-bookmark: OLE_LINK4;"><b><span style="color: black; font-family: Verdana; font-size: 7.5pt;">Amazon: </span></b></span></span></span></a><a href="http://tinyurl.com/7olwvhs"><span style="mso-bookmark: OLE_LINK1;"><span style="mso-bookmark: OLE_LINK2;"><span style="mso-bookmark: OLE_LINK3;"><span style="mso-bookmark: OLE_LINK4;"><b><span style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: 7.5pt;">http://tinyurl.com/7olwvhs</span></b></span></span></span></span><span style="mso-bookmark: OLE_LINK1;"><span style="mso-bookmark: OLE_LINK2;"><span style="mso-bookmark: OLE_LINK3;"><span style="mso-bookmark: OLE_LINK4;"></span></span></span></span></a><span style="mso-bookmark: OLE_LINK2;"></span><span style="mso-bookmark: OLE_LINK1;"></span><span style="mso-bookmark: OLE_LINK3;"><span style="mso-bookmark: OLE_LINK4;"><b><span style="color: black; font-family: Verdana; font-size: 7.5pt;"></span></b></span></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<span style="mso-bookmark: OLE_LINK3;"><span style="mso-bookmark: OLE_LINK4;"><span style="color: black; font-family: Calibri; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">Amazon in print: </span></span></span><a href="http://tinyurl.com/87qdaam"><span style="mso-bookmark: OLE_LINK3;"><span style="mso-bookmark: OLE_LINK4;"><b><span style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: 7.5pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">http://tinyurl.com/87qdaam</span></b></span></span></a><a href="http://tinyurl.com/87qdaam"><span style="mso-bookmark: OLE_LINK3;"><span style="mso-bookmark: OLE_LINK4;"></span></span></a><br />
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<br /></div>
Lesley Diehlhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10552765934908042306noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-99100249239466295.post-38973791278463234952012-09-09T09:21:00.000-07:002012-09-09T09:21:05.623-07:00Saving the Whooper<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;">
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-CQFohr6s_1g/UEzBCw6fTcI/AAAAAAAAARw/GtT3Mrl2LXA/s1600/2DSC_0050copy.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="279" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-CQFohr6s_1g/UEzBCw6fTcI/AAAAAAAAARw/GtT3Mrl2LXA/s320/2DSC_0050copy.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">author Kathleen Kaska</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span id="goog_2129205574"></span><span id="goog_2129205575"></span>Let me introduce you to a multi-talented writer, Kathleen Kaska. Kathleen<b><span style="color: #343434; mso-bidi-font-size: 14.0pt;"></span></b><span style="color: #343434; mso-bidi-font-size: 14.0pt;"> writes fiction, nonfiction, travel articles, and stage
plays, and has just completed her most challenging endeavor. <i>The Man Who
Saved the Whooping Crane: The Robert Porter Allen Story</i>, a true tale set in
the 1940s and 50s, is about Audubon ornithologist Robert Porter Allen whose
mission was to journey into the Canadian wilderness to save the last flock of
whooping cranes before encroaching logging and mining operations wiped out
their nesting site, sending them into extinction. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 14.0pt; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;">
<span style="color: #343434; mso-bidi-font-size: 14.0pt;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> She</span> also writes the Sydney
Lockhart Mystery Series and the Classic Triviography Mystery Series
(LL-Publications) and is a frequent contributor to <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Texas Highways</i> magazine.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 14pt;">
<span style="color: #343434;"> Today I've asked her to talk about her newest book, a nonfiction story about the man who saved the whooping crane. It is an amazing story of a dedicated man.</span><br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<br />
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<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-PMtApsQSr3w/UEzBJGohykI/AAAAAAAAAR4/k1Hj4VzoYaM/s1600/Kaskadj.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-PMtApsQSr3w/UEzBJGohykI/AAAAAAAAAR4/k1Hj4VzoYaM/s320/Kaskadj.jpg" width="213" /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
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<span style="color: #343434;"><br /></span></div>
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<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman";">In
Search of the Last Flock</span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Prolonged serendipity, beginning almost twenty years ago,
led to my book, <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">The Man Who Saved the
Whooping Crane: The Robert Porter Allen Story </i>(University Press of Florida<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">)</i>. I won’t bore you with all the
details, except that my passion for whooping cranes began the first time I laid
eyes on those majestic birds. It was at their winter home, the Aransas National
Wildlife Refuge on the Texas coast. A boat tour had taken me through the
Intracoastal Waterway and into the refuge for a closer view of these giant
white birds, which stand five-feet tall and have a seven-foot wingspan. I could
have sat there all day, watching the cranes’ methodical movements as they
probed for blue crabs in the shallows. Listening to the tour guide’s narration
and learning that in the early 1940s the population had plummeted to only
fifteen, I was moved by the story of the cranes’ slow comeback—and the National
Audubon Society ornithologist who helped saved them from extinction. I left the
refuge that day knowing I wanted to make a difference in wildlife conservation.
Being a teacher and a writer gave me two starting avenues. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>At that time, the life science curriculum at Lake Travis
Middle School near Austin, where I was teaching, included a unit on
environmental science, so I wrote a few lessons using the whooping crane as the
focal point. A National Geographic video in the school library turned up. It
told story of Audubon’s ornithologist, Robert Porter Allen. After showing it to
my classes, I was surprised at how it grabbed those seventh graders’ attention
(was no easy task). I knew that if those youngsters were intrigued by the
story, others would be, too.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Two of my articles about the whooping cranes and Robert
Porter Allen were then published in <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Texas
Highways</i> magazine. Researching those articles made me realize there was
much more to this amazing story. I dug deeper and the publication of my book
resulted.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>What intrigued me most about Bob Allen was his ability to
change the minds of his staunchest opponents. After moving to the refuge in
1947 to begin his research, he found out what he was up against. Practically no
one in Aransas County, Texas would appreciate a newcomer preaching protection
at all costs for what they thought were useless birds. So Allen took a
different approach and played the role of a novice needing local help and
advice about the whooping crane. They eagerly told him all they knew. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>What follows is an excerpt from the book, which tells one
story of Allen’s influence over the old-timers who lived near the refuge back
in the 1940s. He was beginning his second year of work, and he and his young
son, Bobby, had visited a local hangout in Austwell, the nearest town.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
<div class="BodyA" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: .1pt; margin-left: .4in; margin-right: .4in; margin-top: .1pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span></span><span style="color: windowtext; font-family: "Times New Roman";">The next morning, Allen and Bobby dropped by the town’s
gathering place, Cap Daniel’s, a general store, beer joint, and garage.
Covering the walls and shelves were Cap Daniel’s odd collection of firearms and
war relics. Also hanging in a prominent position on the wall was a Judge Roy
Bean ‘Law West of the Pecos’ poster. Allen remembered his friend and refuge
manager, Jim Stevenson, telling how the locals gathered around Cap Daniel’s
coal-burning stove and complained about the government’s proclamation of
Blackjack Peninsula as a whooping crane reserve. He often overheard comments
such as, “If you can’t shoot them [whooping cranes], what blankety-blank good
are they?” or “They tell me they [whooping cranes] ain’t bad eating but there’s
no open season on them.” Allen was surprised to see that the attitude
surrounding saving the whooping cranes was changing. A new sign on Cap Daniel’s
front door announced the establishment as the Whooping Crane Information
Center. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Cap
Daniel remembered Allen and was happy to see the ornithologist. A few days
later, he asked Allen to do him a favor. “Mr. Allen, I wonder if you couldn’t
get ahold of some whoopin’ crane pitchers I could put up on my wall. People ask
me about ‘em every day an’ I oughta have a pitcher or two.” When Allen brought
in a large drawing of a pair of cranes, Cap Daniel removed the Judge Roy Bean
poster and proudly replaced it with the whooping crane picture. He rolled up the
Bean poster and presented it to Allen as a gift.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>While
interviewing Allen’s daughter, Alice, I was pleased to learn that the poster is
one of her most cherished items in the collection of her father’s memorabilia. </span></div>
</div>
Lesley Diehlhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10552765934908042306noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-99100249239466295.post-30148623328491667962012-08-26T08:30:00.000-07:002012-08-26T08:30:45.616-07:00Our Fascination with Serial Killers<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Rjj9Essq1KM/UDo_E4BhsAI/AAAAAAAAARQ/S2MNtrPd-y8/s1600/PatriciaGligor.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Rjj9Essq1KM/UDo_E4BhsAI/AAAAAAAAARQ/S2MNtrPd-y8/s320/PatriciaGligor.jpg" width="213" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">author Patricia Gligor</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
Today my guest is Patricia Gligor who has written an exciting mystery thriller about a serial killer. I first met Pat when she asked me for some input on the synopsis she was preparing for the publisher of <i>Mixed Messages</i>. I knew when I read it that she had a terrifyingly great book, one that readers would love. Read what she has to say about her work.<br />
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<br />
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Our Fascination
with Serial Killers</span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">The blurb on the back of my mystery novel, <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Mixed Messages</i>, begins: “It is estimated
there are at least twenty to thirty active serial killers in the United States
at any given time. There’s one on the loose on the west side of Cincinnati.”Actually,
according to many articles I’ve read on the subject, that’s an extremely
conservative estimate but even the FBI can’t give us actual statistics. No one
knows for sure.</span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-6A_VPs4sdyU/UDpAZ9G2UII/AAAAAAAAARY/2_RTKaAUHU8/s1600/MixedMessages.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-6A_VPs4sdyU/UDpAZ9G2UII/AAAAAAAAARY/2_RTKaAUHU8/s320/MixedMessages.jpg" width="201" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">So, why did I write a novel where a serial killer is attacking
women in their homes? Because the subject intrigues me and, from the responses
I get when I tell people what my novel is about, a lot of other people feel the
same way. I say “serial killer” and their eyes light up. Why?</span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">There are lots of theories offering answers to that
question. Some say it’s a throwback to the legends of vampires, which existed
since the dawn of time. Those legends were romanticized and offered nineteenth
century writers a way to capture the interest of Victorian society. From Dracula
to Jack the Ripper to Hannibal Lectern in <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Silence
of the Lambs</i>, serial killers offer exciting forays into dark worlds.</span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">Others speculate that the intrigue lies solely in the fact
that, most of the time, serial killers look just like our brothers, friends,
neighbors. People have a difficult time believing that someone who is described
by co-workers and neighbors as “a nice guy, a sweet, quiet, awkward bachelor
who lived with his mother” could be responsible for such horrendous crimes as
the notorious Joel Rifkin and many of the other infamous serial killers
throughout history. The fact that a killer could live next door to them,
although chilling, adds a little spice to their otherwise hum-drum lives. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">But, surely, there are common characteristics of serial
killers. A way to identify them, to separate them <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>from the rest of us. Yes and no. Mostly no. The
majority of the research on the childhood backgrounds of these monsters reveals
that many serial killers suffered either a severe psychological trauma and/or
physical or sexual abuse. Also, many future serial killers are known to have
tortured small animals but many SKs didn’t and, strangely enough, some people
who exhibit that behavior as children, grow up to be “normal.” </span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">Then, why do some people who endure psychological and/or
physical abuse as children grow up to be relatively mentally healthy adults who
contribute to society while others become serial killers? Many experts agree
that serial killers lack adequate coping mechanisms. Think of it this way: while
some people get the flu, others don’t because they have a strong resistance or
tolerance. Serial killers, lacking this resistance, as they grow older, are
unable to deal with the stress everyone has at some point in their life. They
have defective emotional immune systems. </span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Are you fascinated with serial killers? If so, why?</span></div>
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To order Mixed Messages</div>
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<u><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Mixed-Messages-Patricia-Gligor/dp/0615603815/ref=la_B007VDDUPQ_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1341321179&sr=1-1">http://www.amazon.com/Mixed-Messages-Patricia-Gligor/dp/0615603815/ref=la_B007VDDUPQ_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1341321179&sr=1-1</a></u></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: 200%; mso-pagination: none;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman";">Link to book trailer for Mixed Messages</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: 200%; mso-pagination: none;">
<u><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman";"><a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ib9QTJItPA4&feature=youtube_gdata">http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ib9QTJItPA4&feature=youtube_gdata</a></span></u></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: 200%; mso-pagination: none;">
<u><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="text-decoration: none;"> </span></span></u><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman";"> </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: 200%;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman";">Link to Pat's blog</span></div>
<u><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 11.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;"><a href="http://pat-writersforum.blogspot.com/">http://pat-writersforum.blogspot.com/</a></span></u><div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
Lesley Diehlhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10552765934908042306noreply@blogger.com52tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-99100249239466295.post-2414509224362738162012-08-12T08:58:00.001-07:002012-08-12T08:58:27.532-07:00Remembering Woodstock<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-mVuquriZHB4/UCfPojZhlDI/AAAAAAAAAQs/tWw9whgRoic/s1600/005%25289%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="200" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-mVuquriZHB4/UCfPojZhlDI/AAAAAAAAAQs/tWw9whgRoic/s200/005%25289%2529.jpg" width="180" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Michael Murphy, Author of <i>Goodbye Emily</i></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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Today my guest is Michael Murphy, author of a new book entitled <i>Goodbye Emily. </i>According to Michael, "My <span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri;">return to
Woodstock novel captures the music, the rain, the mud, but<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Goodbye
Emily</i> focuses on two people who meet and fall in love at Woodstock and
their love lasts a lifetime. Forty years later, well, I don’t want to give too
much away."</span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-aFYJ_3msugY/UCfQpS8LqzI/AAAAAAAAAQ0/AbDuWLZ6SH0/s1600/GoodbyeEmilycoverJune-Copy.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-aFYJ_3msugY/UCfQpS8LqzI/AAAAAAAAAQ0/AbDuWLZ6SH0/s320/GoodbyeEmilycoverJune-Copy.jpg" width="212" /></a></div>
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<span>To celebrate Woodstock's anniversary this month, Michel is providing us with some interesting trivia about the event. Read on... </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
</div>
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Woodstock wasn’t the first big multi-day rock concert of the
sixties. In 1967, The Monterey Pop Festival featured sixties greats Jimi
Hendrix, The Who, The Mamas and the Papas, Ravi Shankar, Janis Joplin, Simon
and Garfunkel, and Otis Redding and others. The event was memorialized in a
1968 documentary, “Monterey Pop.”</div>
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Emboldened, Woodstock organizers wanted an event near
Woodstock, New York because Bob Dylan and other folk/rock stars lived nearby.
They wanted to raise enough money through ticket sales to create a permanent
recording studio in Woodstock. Organizers secured a location in nearby Wallkill,
secheduled acts, printed tickets and publicized the event. Then things began to
go wrong. Very wrong.</div>
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<br /></div>
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Local residents feared an influx of drug-crazed hippies.
Authorities in Wallkill rescinded the permit just weeks before the scheduled
event leaving organizers to scramble for an alternative site. After stumbling
upon a beautiful lush dairy farm owned by Max Yasgur near Bethel, New York,
they secured the location and prepared for the festival.</div>
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<br /></div>
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When August 15 came, construction hadn’t been completed.
There was no way to keep the crowds out, so the concert quickly became a free
concert, virtually ensuring organizers would not meet their financial goals.</div>
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With the popularity of the 1968 Monterey Pop documentary,
word had spread about Woodstock. Roads were jammed. Nearly a half a million
made it to Yasgur’s farm, but the scheduled acts didn’t arrive on time.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></div>
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With an impatient crowd, organizers talked Richie Havens
into taking the stage. After his initial performance they talked him repeatedly
into returning to the stage to stall until more acts arrived. After nearly
three hours, he’d run out of material.</div>
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What followed was Woodstock history. Havens took an old
spiritual, “Motherless Child” and improved a song that’s become known as his
famous Freedom song. As he stated later, <span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri;">“When you see me in the movie tuning my guitar and strumming, I was
actually trying to figure out what else I could possibly play! I looked out at
all of those faces in front of me and the word freedom came to mind."</span></div>
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<span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri;">Country Joe
McDonald, scheduled for day three as part of Country Joe and the Fish, was
talked into performing an acoustic set. Before his famous anti-war song,
“I’m-Fixing-to-Die-Rag,” he gave the “Fish Cheer.” For those who’ve seen the
documentary, the four letter word he and nearly a half million shouted, was not
fish.</span></div>
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I’m honored two Woodstock icons, Country Joe and Wavy Gravy like my
novel. <span style="color: #333333;">“Michael I just finished reading your novel
and found it a fantastic read and wonderful story! It would make a terrific
movie. Thanks for letting me see it. cheers, Joe.” </span><strong>Country Joe McDonald</strong><span style="color: #333333;"></span></div>
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<span style="color: #333333; font-family: inherit;">“What we have in mind is a sweet look back at the good
old days. We must have been in heaven, man.”</span><strong style="font-family: inherit;"> Wavy Gravy</strong></div>
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<strong style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-weight: normal;">Find out more at </span> </strong></div>
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<span style="color: #333333; font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri;">www.mjmurphy.com</span></div>
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<span style="color: #333333; font-family: Calibri;">http://blog.mjmurphy.com</span></div>
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<span style="color: #333333; font-family: Calibri;">www.facebook.com/GoodbyeEmily?ref=hl </span></div>
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<br /></div>Lesley Diehlhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10552765934908042306noreply@blogger.com11tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-99100249239466295.post-84477550290192097122012-08-05T08:15:00.000-07:002012-08-05T08:15:38.278-07:00My guest, Marilyn Meredith<br />
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">I'm excited to have Marilyn Meredith as my guest. </span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">Marilyn </span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">is
the author of over thirty published novels, including the award winning Deputy
Tempe Crabtree mystery series, the latest <b><i>Bears With Us </i></b>from
Mundania Press. Writing as F. M. Meredith, her latest Rocky Bluff P.D. crime
novel is <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">No Bells</i></b> from Oak Tree Press. Marilyn is a member of EPIC,
three chapters of Sisters in Crime,
Mystery Writers of America, and on the board of the Public Safety Writers of
America.</span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"> </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">Today she talks about authors using their own experiences, especially their fears, in writing. </span></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-QEEIwCRs-Zo/UB6LIjkg02I/AAAAAAAAAP8/yAcXmd43Fv0/s1600/NewPhotoofMarilyn.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-QEEIwCRs-Zo/UB6LIjkg02I/AAAAAAAAAP8/yAcXmd43Fv0/s320/NewPhotoofMarilyn.jpg" width="268" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Marilyn Meredith </td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">Do
Any of Your Fears or Experiences Show up in your Mysteries?</span></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">I’ve often wondered if mystery writers ever incorporate
their own fears or experiences into the stories they write. It certainly would
be a way to reach inside oneself to bring up the emotions the hero or heroine
might feel when coming across the same object or situation that the author
himself or herself fears.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">For instance, if spiders make your skin crawl, would you
have your hero or heroine be confronted by a horde of spiders? What if snakes
in habit your nightmares, would you put a deadly snake in the path our
protagonist must take in order to find a clue?</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">This gives you the idea of where I’m going. I wonder when
I’m reading a chilling mystery, if some of the horror that main character must
confront or overcome is one that the writer harbors.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Someone who is afraid of spiders, scorpions, lizards or
snakes should never live where I do. We have lots of all these unsavory
critters. I can easily dispatch the first<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>two without a qualm, I’ve swept many a lizard out the door, and have
learned to make enough noise when traipsing around outside, that a nearby
rattler will sound its warning.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">What am I afraid of? Frankly, the older I get the less
frightened I am of most anything. I can get around in the dark pretty darn
well. I’m not afraid of things that go bump in the night. I live in an old
house and it makes bumping noises all the time. And no, I’m not afraid of
ghosts either. My grandkids all say my house is haunted, and it may well be.
Doors open and shut on their own, but who cares? Ghosts can’t hurt you—especially
if you’re not afraid of them. Frankly, I love writing about ghosts and they’ve
been characters in several of my books.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">What I might confess to being a bit afraid of is a
catastrophe like a forest fire like what has been going on around my state and
others, or a major earthquake which is always a possibility in California. I am
not anticipating either, but who knows? Both of these disasters do make good
fodder for a mystery. We’ve had some major flooding at times where I live, and
I’ve used what could happen in the Deputy Tempe book that’s due out in the
fall, called <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Raging Water</i></b>.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">My latest Rocky Bluff P.D. mystery, <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">No Bells</i></b>, revolves around
a loved one being accused of murder. That would be a horrible experience for
anyone and fortunately not one I’ve had. In this story, it’s the woman that
Officer Gordon Butler has fallen for. He’s determined to clear his name even if
it means losing his job.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">What about experiences? </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">If you’ve ever been burglarized you know the feeling of
being violated even though you weren’t home when the burglar was going through
your belongings. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">A death in the family is always traumatic, but it does give
you the insight and knowledge if what one goes through when a loved one dies.
Sometimes I think writers (books and movies) don’t spend enough time showing
what <a href="http://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=99100249239466295" name="_GoBack"></a>a tremendous effect death has on all the loved ones
left behind.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">I’ve barely covered the surface of our own fears and
experiences that could turn up in a mystery. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">How about sharing your fears? Or an experience that would
make good fodder for a mystery.</span></div>
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<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-Nu0dhz-s5xc/UB6Lsw8-ytI/AAAAAAAAAQM/LrqxjIsmFB4/s1600/NoBellsCover.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-Nu0dhz-s5xc/UB6Lsw8-ytI/AAAAAAAAAQM/LrqxjIsmFB4/s320/NoBellsCover.jpg" width="212" /></a></div>
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<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-0Tc98n53qvA/UB6Mdrt27GI/AAAAAAAAAQU/C7S7_2YOet0/s1600/RagingWaterCover.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-0Tc98n53qvA/UB6Mdrt27GI/AAAAAAAAAQU/C7S7_2YOet0/s320/RagingWaterCover.jpg" width="213" /></a></div>
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<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-WhH-yw3QsoY/UB6LcekLsJI/AAAAAAAAAQE/h24HWp_jCLA/s1600/Bears_With_Us_Front_SM.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-WhH-yw3QsoY/UB6LcekLsJI/AAAAAAAAAQE/h24HWp_jCLA/s320/Bears_With_Us_Front_SM.jpg" width="212" /> </a></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">Visit Marilyn at </span><a href="http://fictionforyou.com/"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">http://fictionforyou.com</span></a><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"> and
her blog at </span><a href="http://marilymeredith.blogspot.com/"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">http://marilymeredith.blogspot.com/</span></a><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 12.0pt;">The Deputy Tempe Crabtree series can be
purchased from the usual places and also directly from Mundania Press at </span><a href="http://mundania.com/"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 12.0pt;">http://mundania.com/</span></a><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 12.0pt;"></span></div>
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<br /></div>Lesley Diehlhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10552765934908042306noreply@blogger.com10