Change of Pace

I’ve written several posts about finding the inspiration for a story and I think it’s time to move on. I believe it’s time to discuss reading, one of my favorite pastimes. There’s no one quite like an avid reader. We live in our own little worlds. Notice, I said we. I love sitting down with a good book, a glass of iced tea and something chocolate. So read on from a reader’s point of view.

  

I talk about writing a lot on this blog, but realistically there’s another side to books. Surprise, surprise, they’re meant to be read. I can talk about writing until I’m blue in the face, but it doesn’t matter how much I talk if no one reads the books. Readers are the most important part of the book world.

Long, long ago, I was in a rut. I had a set of authors whose writing I enjoyed, and I’d read their books and then wait for the next one to come out. If no one was feeling particularly prolific, or if they were working on something that was time-consuming, I’d become frustrated. Believe it or not, I feel that way sometimes; patience is not one of my virtues. And then it struck me that I didn’t have to stick to my list. Who knew? There are a large number of new and fairly new authors out there, and there are authors who’ve been at it for a long time but haven’t received the break they need yet.

So I started branching out. Anyone who’s been reading my posts knows that my favorite types of books are 1) mysteries, and 2) mysteries with some humor. Consider that we’re talking about murder mysteries. In most cases the entire book can’t amuse you because of the subject matter, although some writers do a pretty good job, but I like one with at least a little humor in it. Why? There’s enough drama in real life without adding more. Easy for me to say. I read plenty of books with no humor, it’s just that I prefer something that can make me chuckle.

I’ve read several authors who are new, or new to me. My whole reading world opened up. I could list several authors here, but I won’t. I did that once and had someone write to me saying they were insulted that I hadn’t included their book and they thought I was playing favorites. I say “they” because I don’t want to name names. Of course, that was a long time ago. I glanced at the list I’d made of new authors and most of them aren’t new anymore.

What the heck? In the future I might share the names of some new authors and their work. Why not? Not all of them write with humor, but they still keep me interested and entertained.

My point is, broaden your horizons. Take a chance. Try some new (to you) authors. I always say that word-of-mouth is the best advertising, so if someone mentions reading a book they just loved, ask who the author is. If you read a book you just love, be sure to spread the word. And don’t always judge a book by its cover, because sometimes they don’t represent what’s inside. Is the title intriguing? Check out the description on the back of the book before you decide to buy or not to buy. Open the book and read the first few pages.

To add a little confusion into the mix, don’t forget your tried and true favorite authors. Just don’t sit impatiently and wait for their next book.

Now, here’s my dirty little secret. My reading time has been cut way back. I won’t go into why, but I miss my favorite pastime. One day soon I’m going to sit down with the iced tea and chocolate, and read all day long.

Until next time, I wish you a week of new (to you) authors and enjoyable reading. Do a search on the Internet for “new mystery writers.”

CLICK HERE to visit Marja McGraw’s website

CLICK HERE for a quick trip to Amazon.com

Don’t forget that A Well-Kept Family Secret and Bubba’s Ghost (both Sandi Webster mysteries) are available in audio format.

And the newest addition to the family? People Lookin’ Half Dead – A Sandi Webster Mystery.

Is a Sign Just a Sign? Or is it an Idea?

A friend once sent me an email that grabbed me and wouldn’t let go. It was a sign, sort of, and it said, “Awkward Moment: When you’re digging a hole to bury a body – and you find another body already buried there.” As a mystery writer, how could I let that pass? A germ of an idea took hold and Awkward Moments – A Bogey Man Mystery came to be.

The same friend send me another email that said, “Next time a stranger talks to me when I’m alone I will look at them shocked, and just whisper, ‘You can see me?’” Good grief! I have to admit there are times I feel like following that example, but I don’t.  When I’m sitting alone and I’m quiet, I’m usually thinking about a storyline.

I can’t use every email for a story idea, but after my smile disappears, my brain kicks into gear and ideas start forming. Sometimes ideas for stories come from the most unusual places. If you’re a mystery writer, even a greeting card can start the ideas flowing. A comment made in passing by a friend, or overheard at a coffee house can inspire an entire book. It doesn’t take much more than a fertile imagination. Well, that and a lot of research and grinding hours at the computer.

One of the things I used to enjoy about the television show, Castle, was that something would happen and he’d start spinning stories to fit the event, guessing about what might have happened. Once in a while he was right, but often he was way off base. This is something many writers do. Given a set of circumstances and without having the entire story, they’ll find a scenario to fit the the information they do have.

I have a character in one of my two series who’s addicted to chocolate. At some point she’ll want to be involved in a chocolate mystery. When she was trapped in a ghost town she ran out of chocolate and almost had a meltdown. I can relate to that. Hmm. This might involve a trip to a chocolate factory. I wouldn’t want to get my facts wrong, would I? I mean, research is research. This, happily, could be very interesting research involving some taste-testing.

At the moment I’m mulling over Sandi Webster receiving a text message she didn’t want. A text message that I didn’t want set off alarms – story-wise that is. I’ve begun to write notes to myself so I won’t forget where I’m heading with the idea.

Someone worried that by writing this post another writer might steal my idea. Let them. There are so many possible scenarios that there’s room for all of us. Someone might write a dramatic and suspenseful story, and someone like me might write something with both drama and a little humor. Another author could even turn it into a horror story.

The life of a writer is so much more than I ever thought it would be. It can be a very solitary existence, but there are moments when we come together and share ideas, and… Well, maybe we don’t share ideas, but we do share experiences and stories. Mystery writers are, in general, very generous with their time and support of each other, and I do believe we frequently march to a different drummer. Yes, we even occasionally use clichés like marching to a different drummer. If you prefer, you might say that occasionally we sing a little off key? I do, anyway.

Authors have a lot of fun, aside from the hard work. Aren’t you glad they share their fun through their books? We do our very best to entertain readers and each other.

Until next time, think before you start digging a hole in the ground. You never know what you might dig up. Although, I have heard of people digging up unexpected treasures. Hmmm.

CLICK HERE to visit Marja McGraw’s website

    Just a reminder: On The Books Page, toward the bottom, are some entertaining book      trailers.

CLICK HERE for a quick trip to Amazon.com

It’s finally here! People Lookin’ Half Dead – A Bogey Man Mystery

Think extreme heat and homeless people disappearing, and you’ll have the basis for the story.

Buzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz

I'm taking the week off, so check out Patricia Gligor's post at http://pat-writersforum.blogspot.com/ . If you hurry, you might get a free ebook out of it.

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 I often hear people say authors need to create a buzz to gain followers and sell books. That’s a lot easier said than done. How do we create a buzz? Maybe if your new book has something to do with a current event or issue, people will talk about it. But what if your new book is for entertainment and not enlightenment?

Most of my books have been for entertainment, but my current Bogey Man Work-in-Progress (WIP) has to do with homeless people. It covers a current issue, but I’m hoping it will also be entertaining. Yes, you can include both in a story. I’m not an expert on the homeless population, but I pay attention. I’m a people watcher – always have been. I pay attention to stories in the newspaper and on the news.

Okay, what could I do to create a buzz about this story? I could play up the Bogey Man’s eccentric grandmother, Tillie, who’s just moved to town. I could play up the dreaded heatwave that’s plaguing Los Angeles in this story and its effect on the homeless. I could do both. While Chris Cross (the Bogey Man) and his wife Pamela prepare to open their new supper club, Tillie invites some homeless people in to get them out of the heat. While the Crosses provide drinks, food and respite from the heat, the also learn that homeless people are disappearing.

You won’t see me on any national talk shows because my story is fictional, not a presentation on the plight of the homeless.

So again, how do you create a buzz? You can try to obtain some earthshaking reviews, but that doesn’t happen often. They help, but not enough. You can blog about it, go on talk radio shows, or yell from the rooftops. Do presentations at libraries or book stores. Talk to people in line at the grocery store. My bank and doctor’s office know me well because I’m always talking about books and/or passing out promotional pens.

In the meantime, here are my thoughts on creating a buzz. I’ve always said word-of-mouth is the best advertising, and I believe it’s the best way to create a buzz. So, readers, are you listening? If you’ve read a book you really enjoyed recently, tell everyone you know about it. Buy it as a gift for your best friend. Check out the author’s website to see if they’re offering anything else you might be interested in. Join book clubs and comment about how much a particular book entertained you. Suggest books to the club for reading. Instead of gossiping over the back fence with your neighbor, tell her/him about a book you recently read. Oh, I guess people don’t talk over the back fence much anymore but, again, there’s always the grocery store or the beauty shop or the bank. Shoot! I’ll talk about books everywhere. (You can always text a friend.)

Without mentioning titles, I recently read a Lesley A. Diehl book and really enjoyed it. Someone recommended Angie Fox. I tried her Southern Ghost Hunter Mysteries and now I’m hooked. I’ve also read Dorothy Bodoin, F.M. Meredith and Wendell Thomas recently. I very seldom read westerns, but I tried one of Andrew McBride’s books and wasn’t disappointed. These are authors whose books were on my To Be Read list and I finally got to them. I’m currently reading an Amy Reade book and enjoying it. There are so many other authors I’d like to mention, but for now I’ll keep it to recent reads.

Okay, I just started some buzz about seven authors. In previous posts I’ve mentioned authors whose work I’ve enjoyed, and I’ll continue to do so in the future.

By the way, readers can attend many of the writers’ conferences, and many do. They’re a great place for networking and meeting writers and other readers. And they’re another place to create some buzz.

The bottom line is I don’t have any surefire way to create buzz, but hopefully this post will start a few people talking and spreading Word-of-Mouth Disease. I hope no one finds a cure for it.

Spread some of your own buzz. Share the author’s name and the title of a book you’ve read recently and really enjoyed. Who’s got you buzzing?

Until next time, have a great week and start a little buzzing.

CLICK HERE to visit Marja McGraw’s website

CLICK HERE for a quick trip to Amazon.com

Someone recently asked me which of the books I’ve written were my favorites. It was a toss up. Both are Sandi Webster mysteries. My answer? Old Murders Never Die and  

One Adventure Too Many. One takes you to an abandoned ghost town and one will take you on a trip with eccentric relatives and you'll find a body in the forest. Just thought I’d mention it.

Who Killed Tom Turkey?

Marja McGraw is taking the week off to celebrate Thanksgiving, so I’m stepping in and taking her place. My name is Mikey Cross and I’m ten years old. My mom and dad star in Marja’s Bogey Man Mysteries, and I go wherever they go. Today I’m going to tell you a mystery story. I hope you have fun with it.

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My name is Mikey Cross. I’ve been called in to solve a case, along with my two trusty sidekicks, Sherlock and Watson. Oh, I should probably mention that they’re yellow Labrador Retrievers – a boy and a girl (Watson is the girl.)

Tom Turkey has been found dead by the side of the road. Four men are standing around the body, shaking their heads. There’s a board lying near the body. Sherlock and Watson are on the case, sniffing the turkey for clues. At least, that’s what I hope they’re doing.

The suspects in this case, as they stand around the body, are Farmer Joe (who owns a turkey farm), John (the butcher at the grocery store), Fred (who’s been raising a turkey for this year’s dinner), and Sam (who drank too much beer on his birthday and drove right into Farmer Joe’s turkey farm).

Looking to my right, I see another dead turkey, and beyond her is a third feathered body. Is there a serial killer on the loose? Why the heck would someone be murdering defenseless, senseless turkeys? Sherlock runs to the second turkey, and Watson doesn’t want to be left out, so she approaches the third one, to guard the body.

“Sit! And don’t touch the bodies or any evidence,” I yell. Sherlock sits, but he’s shaking like a leaf and staring at the turkey. Watson ignores me and begins sniffing the third bird.

I look at the four men and see they’re all smiling. Have they no hearts? I push my way past them. “Hmm. I see tire tracks on the turkey.” I look into the eyes of Sam, the beer drinker.

He drops his head and stammers. “Don’t look at me, sonny. I drove into the turkey farm. This bird is lying beside the road, not back at the farm.”

I walk over and check out the second turkey. “You poor thing,” I whisper. “Why would someone knock you off and leave your body here?” The turkey’s neck looks like it was broken. Another board lay by the body. “Looks like there’s a monster on the loose.” Sherlock looks at me, but quickly turns back to the dead hen.

Maybe a turkey farmer would break a turkey’s neck. I turn and walk back to the men, zeroing in on Farmer Joe. He has a guilty look on his face, but he shakes his head. “These aren’t my turkeys. You can’t blame this on me.”

“My turkeys are back at the store,” John-the-butcher says, smiling wickedly.

“And my turkey is safe and sound in the refrigerator at home,” says Fred, “just waiting to be stuffed.”

I cringe. What heartless buggers!

I take one more walk, ready to look at the third turkey. When I get close to the poor thing, I hear a feeble gobble gobble. Watson’s tail spins in a circle. Sadly, after one more gobble, the turkey is quiet. Once again, there’s a board lying by the body. The murder weapon? I sigh. How am I going to figure this case out?

Hearing a rumble, I look down the road and see a truck full of crates heading our way. It pulls to a stop right in front of the four men and I run back to see who it is. There’s a sign on the side of the truck that says, “Gimbal’s Turkey Ranch.”

I slap myself on the forehead. “Of course! A crate fell off the truck. One turkey was run over by a passing car. One landed on her head, breaking her neck. The third one? I don’t know what killed him, but at least he got one last gobble out.”

I turn to the men. “Men? You’re free to go. Have a good Thanksgiving.”

I whistle and Sherlock and Watson come running. Well, they don’t exactly run, and they keep turning back to look at the bodies. I hope that isn’t drool I see dripping from Sherlock’s mouth.

THE END

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Happy Thanksgiving from Marja McGraw, Jill, Sugar, Murphy and Clementine!

Until next time, have a great Thanksgiving and try not to overeat.

CLICK HERE to visit Marja McGraw’s website

CLICK HERE for a quick trip to Amazon.com

Once again, let me mention One Adventure Too Many – A Sandi Webster Mystery. If you’re looking for something light and mysterious to read, this is it.