Evelyn Cullet, Guest Author

NOTE: A Well-Kept Family Secret – A Sandi Webster Mystery is now available in audio format at Amazon.com, iTunes and Audible.com. 

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My guest this week is Evelyn Cullet who’s writing about choosing a setting, and she does it with humor. I think you’ll enjoy this post, and you just might find yourself chuckling throughout the day, thinking about reading the book.

How Did You Chose that Setting?

Editors and others, who shall remain nameless, often tell authors to write what you know. And that's how I chose my setting for Once Upon a Crime. This story takes place in Raven's Caw, Michigan, a hamlet so small you could probably drive right though town and have to turn back to find it. My protagonist's aunt lives in an old renovated school house near the summer cottages on Swan Lake.

This setting is a combination of two places. The lake setting is from my friend's summer cottage on Swan Lake in Michigan. The lake's name came from the fact that there are swans there in the summer, not from the Tchaikovsky ballet.

The school house and the small town were chosen for this novel because of an event I'd experienced in my early twenties. My niece, (who is two years older than me) was asked to stand up to a friend's wedding in a very small town in a nameless Midwestern state. She didn't want to go alone, so I went with her. We drove there, but went right past the town without finding it. We had to turn around and locate a gas station (there we no cell phones then) to call this girl's house for directions.

When we arrived, we were astounded to find that it was an isolated old school house in the middle of a forest, with nothing but a cemetery next door. Of course, the inside had been renovated…somewhat, and even though her parents had invited us, we didn't feel comfortable staying there so we ended up at a run-down motel along the roadside. We were the only two guests. The proprietor told us to make sure our door was locked and not to bring any food in because of the bears lurking around.

My niece's friend married a farmer, and while the wedding ceremony took place in a non-denominational church in the next town, the wedding breakfast was at his farm, outdoors at a long picnic table in the middle of a cow pasture. (I'm not making this up.) It was July. And yes, it was hot…there were cows... and mud…and flies…and other things. Having been born and raised in the city of Chicago, we both did a lot of eye rolling and facial gesturing.

The evening reception took place in the dance hall part of the local steak house. All the guests, other than myself and the wedding party, were wearing casual clothes. I was, of course, dressed to the hilt and spent most of my evening fending off several old men who were widowers, since all the young ones came with their wives.

Needless to say, my niece and I laughed a lot on the way home, mostly because it was so different from anything we'd ever experienced before. When you read Once Upon a Crime, I'm sure you'll recognize some of the places I've mentioned here.   

Thank you, Evelyn! That story is priceless. Marja

Bio:

Evelyn Cullet has been an aspiring author since high school when she wrote short stories. She began her first novel while attending college later in life, and while working in the offices of a major soft drink company. After college, she continued taking writing classes. Now, with an early retirement, she finally has the chance to do what she loves best: write full time. As a life-long mystery buff, she was a former member of the Agatha Christie Society, and is a current member of Sisters In Crime. When she's not writing mysteries, reading them or reviewing them, she hosts other authors and their works on her writers blog. She also plays the piano, is an amateur lapidary, and an organic gardener. Evelyn and her husband live in a suburb of Chicago.

Book Blurb:

Love isn’t always a fairy tale…and Charlotte Ross has kissed her share of frogs, but that’s all behind her. Fleeing her life for a short break, Charlotte, along with her best friend Jane Marshall, find themselves at her aunt’s home in the sleepy town of Raven’s Caw, Michigan. Charlotte hopes to recover from another breakup with her fiancé, and her friend Jane, a new mystery writer, is looking forward to somewhere relaxing. But life has different plans for the two friends and they find themselves swept up in a whirlwind of romance, mystery and murder.

Sparks fly between Jane and Charlotte’s attractive, Machiavellian cousin, Kenny. But is the attraction too good to be true or just a diversion from a mystery that has piqued her interest? Charlotte is pulled along on this roller-coaster of emotion when she meets up with her first love, as she and Jane discover links between a murder that happened twelve years earlier and a recent crime. Risking their lives and hearts, the friends race against the past in an effort to solve the crimes before one of them becomes the next victim.

Once Upon a Crime is available at:

Amazon - http://tinyurl.com/l4lhxxb

Barnes and Noble : http://tinyurl.com/lcpl5d9

Wings ePress: http://www.wings-press.com/

Smashwords: https://www.smashwords.com/profile/view/evelyncullet

Other links:

Website and blog: http://evelyncullet.com/

Facebook Author's page: https://www.facebook.com/EvculletsAuthorPage

Twitter: https://twitter.com/EvelynCullet

Goodreads- http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/3425303.Evelyn_Cullet

Pinterest: http://www.pinterest.com/ecullet/

CLICK HERE to visit Marja McGraw’s website (sorely in need of updating).

CLICK HERE for a quick trip to Amazon.com

If you enjoy audio books, please give A Well-Kept Family Secret a try. Thank you!

The Tried, the True -- And the New

I once posted a blog about branching out and trying new authors. Well, they may not be new, except to you. Someone asked how to do this? How do you find new authors whose work you might enjoy?

I can only give you my opinion. In most cases I haven’t grabbed a book off the shelf and tried it. So how do I find new authors?

Word-of-mouth, in my opinion, is the best promotion out there. I’d never heard of Janet Evanovich until several years ago someone told me they thought she was funny, and I’m always looking for humor. She had about half a dozen books out at the time and once I tried the first Stephanie Plumb book I quickly moved on to the second in the series. And the third, and…

Your local bookstore should be able to help you find the type of book you’re looking for if you ask. The people at your local library will do the same. Join a group like Goodreads. There are “clubs” of people who enjoy the type of story you do, and reading their comments will give you some ideas. I understand that ebooks are all the rage now. (That sounded old-fashioned.)  Even so, I still love paper books, although I have a huge To Be Read list on my KIndle.

Anyway, I still enjoy browsing through the bookstore and library. I’m more inclined to read titles than look at book covers. Too many times the cover has absolutely nothing to do with the story. If the title intrigues me, I’ll pick up the book and read the back cover.

Honestly? Titles and blogs have led me to read new (to me) authors. I’m prone to jump to conclusions, but I’ve always felt a person’s blog is a showcase for their writing style. If I like their post, chances are I may try one of their books.

Don’t forget book reviews. I’ve heard several people say they never read a book review because they figure it was written by a friend or relative. That’s not always the case. You can tell a lot by a review.

Example: Marley & Me by John Grogan is one of my favorite books. I found it by reading a review before it became a bestseller. The book made me laugh, and it made me cry. Grogan had no idea what he was about to face when he brought Marley home, a Labrador retriever. And it means even more to me now that we have two Yellow Labs, Sugar and Murphy. They’re an interesting breed, and our dogs have some traits reminiscent of Marley.

So if you’ve read a good book, don’t be afraid to recommend it to someone either through word-of-mouth or a review. After reading the book they’re either going to say, “What were you thinking?” or ”Hey, thanks for the suggestion. Good book.” Either way, they’ve tried something new and so have you.

I just finished Murder on a Stick (police procedural) by S.L. Smith and No Substitute for Maturity (humorous mystery) by Carolyn J. Rose. My reading time has been very limited lately or I’d mention a few other books. Guess I’d better get busy and write a couple of reviews, and hope someone reads them.

And I’d better start reading another book. I love being entertained.

Do you ever recommend books to your friends? I hope so.

Until next time, enjoy a good recommended book. So many books, so little time. Sigh

CLICK HERE to visit Marja McGraw’s website

CLICK HERE for a quick trip to Amazon.com

COMING SOON (like in the next couple of days): A Well-Kept Family Secret – A Sandi Webster Mystery will be available in AUDIO format. It’s currently available on Audible.com and will soon be available on Amazon.com and iTunes.

There are Words, and Then Again, There are Words

In 2011 I wrote a post about words. Reading it again made me realize how today it’s even truer than it was then. I’m reposting it this week.

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I was going to blog about Bookstore Divas this week, but after listening to TV and news stories I’ve decided it’s time to write about words – words and figures of speech.

Several years ago, before “going postal” became a catch phrase, I was at work and talking to one of the maintenance men. I was mildly annoyed about something someone did (I can’t recall what or who) and I said, “Oh, I could just shoot him.” This maintenance man was horrified, and I was quite surprised. I hadn’t said it with venom, or even anger. I had to explain that it was only a figure of speech. He didn’t know what that meant so I had to explain it to him. By the time I walked away, I could have throttled the maintenance man, figuratively speaking.

As a writer, it breaks my heart to hear people trying to clip figures of speech out of the American dialogue. For crying out loud, not everything is meant to be taken seriously and not everything has a hidden or double meaning. A cliché is a cliché, and a figure of speech is just that – a figure of speech. There’s a time for political correctness (PC); however, I tend to think of PC as using common courtesy and common sense speech. Unfortunately, translation has gone way beyond accepting courtesy and common sense.

If I overheard someone plotting a murder and they said, “I could just shoot him,” that’s one thing. However, if I heard a friend say the same thing about the husband she was frustrated with, I wouldn’t give it a second thought. She would have been venting, letting go of some of her frustration, and that would probably be a good thing.

I was at the airport and someone asked me what I do for a living. I almost told her I write murder mysteries, but I caught myself and simply told her I’m a writer. Good grief! I didn’t want the TSA calling me aside because someone overheard me utter the word murder. I also didn’t want to be a diva and look down my nose at her and say, “I’m an author. (sniff)” I’m just a simple writer with simple ways, but I do write darned good mysteries that aren’t simple. I should be able to be proud of that and sing out the words, “I write murder mysteries! I think you’d like them,” without looking over my shoulder.

So, okay, as a writer I think people are getting carried away with the hidden meaning of words and phrases. I think the Word Police need to take a step back and think about the context in which these figures of speech are being used. Frankly, I think everyone should take a step back and hopefully realize they’re frequently making a big deal out of nothing. (Yes, I realize sometimes things are a big deal.)

I know we live in some trying and scary times and there’s more violence in the world than there should be. However, lighten up a little. There’s enough drama with what’s really going on today without worrying about catch phrases and clichés, especially in books. These are tools a writers uses from time to time and they’re also words that people use every single day, somewhere and in some way. It doesn’t mean everything they say should be taken literally.

This is at least the second time I’ve climbed up on my soap box, so it’s probably time to step down. I should get back to the mind-boggling idea of taking more comments with a grain of salt and letting others roll off my back. The only killing that goes on in my world is in books, and I’d like to keep it that way. Don’t take offense if one of my characters says something that’s not politically correct. They’re just fictional people, after all.

Until next time, have a great week and stop looking over your shoulder for the Word Police. Enjoy life at least a little.

CLICK HERE to visit Marja McGraw’s website

CLICK HERE for a quick trip to Amazon.com

A Well-Kept Family Secret will soon be available in AUDIO format. Watch for it. In the meantime, What Are the Odds? is available in both ebook and paperback format.

Secrets and Treasures

When I was a child there was a game we made up and played once in a while. We called it Treasure Hunt.  I’m sure many others played this game, too. One of us would hide a “treasure” which usually consisted of a cookie wrapped in waxed paper or something like that. I think once we were brave enough to hide a quarter. The person hiding the treasure would write out clues and the other kids followed them to find their reward. (Maybe that’s one of the reasons I enjoy mysteries so much.)

Recently my husband commented that it seemed like most of my books contained hidden passages or compartments. Was he right? Had I gotten into a theme I didn’t particularly want? I sat down and thought about it. No, there was one book with hidden passages, and one with hidden compartments. However, that old Treasure Hunt came to mind. There are two books that include hidden treasures. Make that three books. Treasure can be something valuable that’s not made of gold or silver.

In the back of my mind I guess I figure if I like the idea of hidden places or things, other people might, too. Will I include more hidden things in future books? Probably. It’s fun to put together the puzzles.

I’ve read books by other authors that entranced me while I followed their clues to hidden anythings. It’s all a part of the mystery, and it’s generally a fun part.

 

I asked myself if I’ve ever found a hidden treasure – for real. Yes, but not in the same sense as in the books. I’ve discovered that when people pass away they often leave something tucked in a drawer or high on a shelf that was special to them, whether it was a treasure to anyone else or not.

My grandmother told me about a hidey hole where she’d put a few things away and when we lost her I found a vintage woman’s watch. She married in 1918, and when I looked at her wedding picture I realized she was wearing that very same watch the day she was wed. The watch might not be a treasure to anyone else, but it is to me. It was interesting, too, because as far as I know there was something new (from that time) about it. It had a little thingy on it where you could attach a chain to wear it around your neck. But it also had little thingies where you could attach the two ends of a band to wear it on your wrist. It was my grandmother’s, it was unique, and it’s a treasure to her granddaughter – me.

How do authors come up with things like hidden passages and compartments? It takes a little work. You have to decide how these passages would fit into a house and still remain secret. You have to decide where a hidden compartment would be located. I usually draw sketches to make it more clear to myself. And, of course, there’s research to see where others have placed these things.

Here’s the thing. When you write fiction, some part of it has to be realistic. You can’t just stick a hidden passage anywhere you want to and hope it makes sense. Also, there should be excuses why they’re not obvious to the characters.

When I was a child my grandparents (other side of the family) moved to a different house, and it was an old two-story home. As kids we wanted to explore the basement. Would you believe, one of us saw something that looked unusual and pushed on the wall.  A secret compartment popped open. It was long and narrow, and the only thing inside was a very old cane. I kept that cane for years and then it just disappeared. I have no idea what happened to it.

Now that you’ve read this far, here’s one of the surprising points of this post. It’s really all about figuring out what readers enjoy reading about. Secret passages? Secret compartments? Spooky old houses? Dark and stormy nights? Basements and attics are usually great places to find unusual clues – like an old cane. Why would someone hide a cane?

Some readers prefer suspense and some prefer horror. Some enjoy an old-fashioned mystery.

What “makes” a book for you?

Until next time, I hope you find a fun hidden treasure where you least expect it.

CLICK HERE to visit Marja McGraw’s website.

CLICK HERE for a quick trip to Amazon.com

Hidden Passages: Mysteries of Holt House – A Sandi Webster Mystery

Hidden Compartments and Unexpected Treasure: They Call Me Ace – A Bogey Man Mystery

Treasure: A Well-Kept Family Secret – A Sandi Webster Mystery

                Awkward Moments – A Bogey Man Mystery