A New Week

It’s a new week and I have some new thoughts, which is actually a dual-edged sword. On one side I’m glad I’m still sharp enough to have new thoughts, and on the other side I never know in which direction they’ll head.

I have a new book coming out soon, titled “People Lookin’ Half Dead.” It’s part of the Bogey Man series. In the past I’ve included a gaggle of Church Ladies, but for this one they’re out of town. Yes, even Church Ladies enjoy becoming involved in a good mystery, and they’ll be sorry they missed this one.

That’s enough self-promotion for now.

Occasionally I include guest authors on my blog. I’m an author, but I’m also a reader. What better way to find out about authors and their books than to have them as a guest? We can learn what motivates them and where some of their stories come from. Just when I think I’ve got writers figured out, they come along and tell stories which surprise me. Dorothy Bodoin, Marilyn Meredith, Patricia Gligor and Evelyn Cullet are just a few authors who’ve visited.

I surprised a few people when I told a story on someone else’s blog about having to search a women’s restroom for a bomb without any training back in the 1970s, and I’ve repeated the story here. Things were very, very different at that time. When I worked in Personnel for a civil law enforcement agency, a job applicant threatened to kill me because she didn’t get the job she’d applied for. It didn’t matter that I hadn’t made the decision not to hire her and I didn’t have any input. She told me to watch my back because she’d get me when I least expected it. Okay, so I’m still here and she never went to work for the agency she’d applied to, but good grief! All I did was administer a typing test. I’ve got a lifetime of stories, and people wonder why I became a mystery writer.

Authors have lots of stories and if you’ll give them the chance, they’re more than happy to share. Some of the stories are sad, and some are quite funny. All you have to do is sit down and ask questions – and listen.

As Chris Cross (a Humphrey Bogart look-alike) would say, I want the skinny about mystery writers and the capers they’ve been involved in. Give me the lowdown – all the background behind the writer. Tell me where you’ve been and where you’re going. I want it all.

Ever hear of reciprocity? I sincerely believe that what goes around, comes around. So if I give someone a chance to discuss themselves and their books, then on occasion someone else will allow me to do the same, or they’ll pay it forward. It’s a win-win situation.

In the process, I find new books to read and make new friends. How much better can it get? Well, maybe my books could become bestsellers appearing on a bestseller list, but if not, I’m still have a great time and meeting some outstanding people.

So I’ll continue to have guest authors visit from time to time and I’ll promote my books, too. And on occasion I’ll do a blog about writing issues. I almost did one about overused words this week, but I have to admit that I was bored with it. Oh, well…

If you’d like to be a guest here, please let me know in your comments or email me at mystery@marjamcgraw.com. I can’t guarantee a spot, but I’ll do my best. Please remember this space is a mystery site.

Until next time, do for others and just maybe they’ll pass it on and do for someone else.

CLICK HERE to visit Marja McGraw’s website

CLICK HERE for a quick trip to Amazon.com

By the way, here’s the completed new book cover:

Please Join Me

What if we were sitting around my kitchen table, talking about writing? What would you want to discuss? Can I get you a cup of coffee or tea? I’ve got cookies, too, but then I always have goodies in the cupboard.

I’d be talking about working on my new book cover. Much improved, but still in the works. I strive for perfection, but I can’t quite get there from here.

When you finish your current story, what will you write about next? I have no idea what I’m going to do. I have a book that shows the front page (only) of the Los Angeles Times from 1881 to 1987. I’ve been looking at those pages, hoping something will inspire an idea. Nothing yet. It’s interesting because many times they write about a crime, but you only get part of the story since it’s only the front page. “Continued on Page…” So many of the stories are still a mystery when I put the book down. I think I have another book that focuses on the 1940s, but I haven’t looked at that yet.

I’ve often talked about how things were simpler in years gone by, but while reading the headlines, I’ve changed my mind. Yes, a lot of things were simpler, but crime wasn’t. Some of the stories I’ve read were horrendous. I’m almost glad I didn’t have a Page 14 to find out what happened in the end.

Daylight Savings Time started on March 10^th. I wonder if I could come up with an idea having to do with the time change. Sometimes things we take for granted are actually things we can use for a story. Did you know that in Arizona the time never changes? I liked that better than where I’m at now, which is Washington State. Yes, the time changes here.

We’ve all had some weather that was out of the ordinary this year. Maybe that will inspire a story for you. It rains way too often here, but the rain can actually be rather calming.

Have you worked on your genealogy? That task can provide some surprises, and often real life surprises will inspire a story.

Have another cookie. More tea? Coffee?

 Old Farmhouse Kitchen

I’ve always felt the kitchen is the nucleus of the house. I love the old farmhouses where the family gathered around the table in the kitchen. A formal dining room is just… Well, too formal for my taste. I enjoy a casual atmosphere. What about you? I’ve always had a dream of living in an old farmhouse, but it’s never come to pass.

I can remember so many stories that were shared over the kitchen table. Confessions, secrets, humor and heartbreak were all shared there, too. Maybe it’s more comforting to sit in the kitchen.

Back to one of my first questions; have you decided on the subject matter for your new story yet? I guess I’d better finish editing and publishing my most recent book before I worry about that.

Discussing writing and everything that goes with it can be addictive. I had no idea until I talked about writing so much that my husband’s eyes used to glaze over. Who knew?

Oh, you want to discuss marketing and promoting? I think we’ll have to leave that for our next visit. You’re welcome anytime, you know.

Drop in again. I look forward to visiting.

Until next time, enjoy some time at your table with good friends. Talk about anything that tickles your fancy, but don’t use silly phrases like I just did.

CLICK HERE to visit Marja McGraw’s website

CLICK HERE for a quick trip to Amazon.com

COMING SOON: People Lookin’ Half Dead – A Sandi Webster Mystery

Think heatwave and missing homeless people. Just a clue about the story.

What Happened?

When you finish a book, what’s the first thing you do? Sigh loudly and grin? Jump up and down in your chair? Wave your arms in the air and act like an idiot? Or maybe you just take a deep breath and breathe again. On the other hand, if you’re like me, you do all of the above and forget everything you should be doing, like writing last week’s post.

People Lookin’ Half Dead – A Bogey Man Mystery is about to be edited and will be available soon. Right now I’m working on the cover, which is a whole ‘nother story, but think hot summer with record-breaking temperatures. And in the midst of the heat, homeless people are disappearing.

 Rough draft of the book cover. It will probably change. Well, yes, it will change.

Quite by accident, and with the help of Chris Cross’s grandmother, he and his wife, Pamela, become involved – again. Keep the heat in mind because it’s not going anywhere, and neither are the people who live on the street – with the exception of the few who are disappearing.

There was a young, tall, very thin homeless man whom I saw at a fast food place in Arizona. He was so dirty that his skin looked ashen. All he wanted was a drink of water. He was so soft-spoken and polite that you had to listen closely to hear him. I’ve never forgotten him, and he inspired this story. I wish I could have known what happened to him, but since I don’t, I gave him his own story.

There’s a touch of humor in the book. Even homeless people can laugh at life sometimes.

What about the book cover? Have you ever looked at an asphalt street during the hottest part of summer? Have you noticed the heat waves emanating from the asphalt? I wish I could have found a photo like that to use for my book cover, but I guess you can’t photograph heat waves. So I’m sticking with a very hot sun and a view of the city from a distance. Simple authors create simple covers.

Once the book is released I’ll look at doing some promotion. I haven’t really promoted much over the past few years. Oh, well… Life has changed and so have I.

The next book will be another Sandi Webster Mystery, but I haven’t decided on the subject matter yet. Another cold case? Maybe. Something current? We’ll see. I’ll be as surprised as you.

Back to the grindstone. I can’t seem to get the cover quite right. At least it keeps me busy while I try to dream up another escapade.

What do you do when you type The End at the finish of your story? Something exciting, I hope.

Until next time, I wish you a week of beginnings instead of endings. Maybe your personal story is just about to begin, and I hope it’s filled with laughter.

CLICK HERE to visit Marja McGraw’s website

CLICK HERE for a quick trip to Amazon.com

Look Up, Look Down

When my husband was in the police academy, something they emphasized was, “Look up, look down, look all around.” That’s good advice for anyone investigating a crime, real or fictional.

Have you ever played one of those Search & Find games on the computer? Some of the objects you’re told to find will turn up in the most unlikely places. That’s true in life, too. I recently lost my car keys. Thankfully, I had an extra set of keys. I looked everywhere for those missing keys, including emptying out my purse (which would frighten a mere mortal) and all of my pockets. I’d had an appointment that day and finally decided I must have dropped them in the parking lot without realizing it.

I missed those keys because there were other things on the keychain besides my car and house key. The house key is another story. Whoever lived here before had different locks put on every door. Lots of keys for lots of doors. But I digress.

About two weeks later I put on a jacket to wear to the store, stuck my hand in the pocket and, surprise, surprise, there were the lost keys. I could have sworn I wore a different jacket the day of my appointment.

In Old Murders Never Die – A Sandi Webster Mystery, Sandi and Pete are stranded in a ghost town. To the best of their knowledge, no one had set foot in Wolf Creek for over a hundred years. Without much else to do, the two detectives started looking things over and they discovered unsolved murders from around 1880. Thus began their desire to solve the old murders. As the pair began searching houses in the town, they looked for clues, and Pete (an ex-police officer) offered Sandi the advice my husband offered me. She looked up, down and all around, and a few clues came to light after all those years. 

 This looks like a good hiding place.

Between my daughter and me, we have three dogs. Things disappear all the time. The little angels just love to walk off with whatever is within their reach. Very frustrating. The same advice works when looking for a lost slipper or sock. However in the case of the dogs, it’s also advisable to look under rocks or where it appears fresh digging has taken place.

Readers, including me, love secret rooms or passages. These things add to the suspense. So when our protagonists see something that doesn’t look quite right, they take a second look and generally, in a mystery, they’ll discover something unexpected. How about a secret room that houses a mummy? (Gin Mill Grill – A Sandi Webster Mystery)

When writing a mystery, have a little fun. Close your eyes and picture the last place someone might look for a clue, information, or a body. Of course, there are times these places need to fall short of offering help. Don’t forget red herrings. Also, don’t forget that not all mysteries include a death. The mystery might include a missing person, or as in my case, lost keys.

Speaking of keys, my grandfather had a key collection. Some of them were pretty old. I had a very old trunk that was locked and no one could figure out where the key might be. What’s the fun in calling a locksmith? I dug out Grandpa’s key collection and after trying several of them, I found one that opened the trunk. The case of the missing key? Solved, although I have a feeling that this might have been a skeleton key that would open many things.

So, whether we’re talking about fiction or real life, remember to look up, look down and look all around. If that doesn’t work, start checking pockets.

Have you ever lost something important and found it in a very unusual spot?

Until next time, take in your surroundings and look for the unusual or unexpected.

CLICK HERE to visit Marja McGraw’s website

CLICK HERE for a quick trip to Amazon.com

Listen Closely

I’m going to tell you a funny story, and it actually has a purpose.

 After working in civil law enforcement, my closest friend and I both went to work for a law firm. Put in simple terms, in the early 1980s the attorney would dictate his notes and the legal secretary would transcribe his dictation.

We'd only worked there for a short time when my friend transcribed an attorney’s notes about a man who was killed in a fire which, of course, isn’t funny. She was shocked when the recording stated that he’d been having illicit relations with his power mower at the time of his death. Okay, his power mower? We carpooled, and needless to say, we had quite a conversation during the drive home that night. What on earth could a man do with his power mower? I won’t even go into the possible scenarios that were suggested.

The next morning I was in my office when my friend walked in with an odd expression on her face. When she arrived at her desk, the lawyer walked out of his office, laughing for all he was worth. It seems the man wasn’t having relations with his power mower, but with his paramour! I have to admit, it’s kind of an old-fashioned word and I didn’t know what it meant. She had to explain it.

By the time she left my office, we both had tears running down our faces from the laughter.

What could this possibly have to do with writing mysteries? Everything, in some cases.

What if a private investigator was hired to work on this case and he or she was given the original, incorrect, transcription. How could the investigator approach a case that involved someone making mad, passionate love to a power mower?

Even hearing a name incorrectly might cause problems. In Gin Mill Grill – A Sandi Webster Mystery, they took on a client named Eloise Nutcase. Really? Ms. Nutcase had a speech problem. Her name was actually Eloise Neuchase.

Hearing something incorrectly might cause all kinds of issues in a mystery. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve had to say, “I’m sorry. Would you please repeat that?”

It can really be an issue if someone has an accent. When I was a little girl some new people moved in next door. The girl next door was talking to me through the fence and she told me there was a “spadder” on my arm. For some reason, all I could think of was a spatula or a splatter. I’d honestly never heard a Texas accent before. She was trying to tell me there was a spider on my arm and she finally curled her fingers, turned her hand palm down, and made a crawling motion, after which I shuddered and she reached through the fence and knocked the spider off.

One other thing. It doesn’t matter if your book is dramatic or humorous, the misunderstanding of a word can change the entire story. Of course, it might lead to an interesting ending, too.

Mysteries are based on the facts as the protagonist knows them. A misconception can lead to misunderstandings, horror, drama or humor, or just plain confusion. In most cases, though, I think the protagonist would learn of their mistake long before the end of the book. Although, you never know.

Have you ever misunderstood a word or phrase someone has used and then had to backtrack to resolve a situation? I hope, as in the situation I mentioned above, it had a funny ending.

Until next time, listen carefully. In a mystery, your life could depend on it.

CLICK HERE to visit Marja McGraw’s website

CLICK HERE for a quick trip to Amazon.com

Coming Soon (although don’t hold your breath while you’re waiting): People Lookin’ Half Dead – A Bogey Man Mystery. When Grandma Tillie moves to town and the first thing she does is invite some homeless people in from out of the heat, Chris and Pamela become involved in a case of missing people. Why would someone be taking homeless people off the streets?