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Valentine's Day Warning!

Hank Phillippi Ryan: You know Terry Ambrose from his fabulous column at Crime Fiction Examiner.  But our Terry is also a pro (as a former skip tracer and deadbeat chaser) when it comes to scoping out scams and rip-offs! And today, he's got some savvy tips for those who think Valentine's Day is simply about chocolate. (Well, it IS about chocolate. And, possibly, jewelry. But there may be some pitfalls along the way--wait til you hear these!)

A Valentine's Day Warning!

                                by Terry Ambrose

                      

Valentine’s Day is just around the corner and that means shopping.

 It also means decisions—how much to spend, what to buy, and where to make that purchase. Should I go online or into a store? Maybe I should go back to my trash folder and dig out that email with all the fabulous deals?

Putting a damper on the day is not my intent, but helping you to avoid a possible scam is. This blog is dedicated to the fine art of crime fiction and some of these scams rank right up there in ingenuity. So, here are three popular scams and two tips to help keep you safe as the season of love ramps up.

 Gift card scam

Is your special someone far away? Is a gift card the best option? Maybe you see a special deal for a gift card that would let you leverage your dollars? The safest way to make this purchase is directly from the merchant or authorized retail merchant. In addition, ask for a card from behind the counter, not one that has been left out front that might have been tampered with.

The biggest scam of 2012

If you love auctions and see that “perfect” item for him or her, bear in mind that some scammers will run classified ads or auctions for products they don’t have. This “triangulation scheme” was one of the biggest scams in 2012 and involves three victims. Victim #1 is the person whose credit card was stolen. Fortunately, that person won’t lose much if they report their card as stolen in a timely manner. Victim #2 is the merchant, who will may lose the merchandise he sold. And then there’s Victim #3, in this case, truly the biggest loser. This is the person who buys from the scammer. #3 will definitely lose the merchandise they bought—if they ever even receive it. They’ll also become responsible for the cost of that item to the merchant. And the kicker is that Victim #3 might just get a visit from the police for receiving stolen goods.

The trickiest scam to detect

Have you ever mistyped a website address? It happens all the time. In fact, it happens so often that scammers set up fake websites that mimic the real ones. Sometimes that site will even be advertised. When scammers do this for a well-known brand such as Swarovski crystal and profess to provide products at discount prices, be especially aware that you may have found a scam.

Two tips for safe online shopping

Protecting yourself from online fraud doesn’t need to be complex or painful. Here are two easy ways to protect yourself if you decide to buy online. First, never give out credit card numbers, bank account numbers, or other financial information directly to a seller you don’t know. Second, always use a legitimate payment service to protect your purchases.

 Just following those tips will help keep you safe and avoid turning your Valentine’s Day from a dream into a nightmare with no end in sight.

 So, what’s on your agenda for Valentine’s Day? Are you on the hunt for a perfect gift? Did you find these tips helpful? And do you have a tip of your own you’d like to pass along?

 Terry Ambrose (terryambrose.com) is a mystery author who also reports on real-life scams and cons on Examiner.com.

 His most recent release is LICENSE TO LIE.

Hank Phillippi Ryan, Anthony, Agatha and Macavity award-winning author, called LICENSE TO LIE a “smart and twisty tale of high finance and double dealing” and said, “This unlikely and irresistible crime-fighting duo will charm you--and keep you happily turning the pages.”

A Day in the Life of A Disciplined Novelist

By Elaine Viets

Being a writer takes discipline. I try to follow in the footsteps of literary greats, like Ernest Hemingway. I visited his home in Key West. Hemingway and I have much in common: We both live in Florida, write for a living and have cats.

"Hemingway woke at 7:30, ate breakfast, and started writing at 9 AM," an admiring blogger wrote. "He stopped around 2 PM. When Hemingway was writing, he was completely present—when he was done, he stopped obsessing over it and left it until the next day. If you want to produce great work, you have to find a creative routine that’s effective for you and stick to it. Be present when working. Be absent when not."

Good advice. This week, I’m slammed with three deadlines: Read the final page proofs for my May Dead-End Job hardcover, "Board Stiff." Write a speech for a convention in Sarasota, Florida. Start my new Josie Marcus Mystery Shopper novel, "Fixing to Die."

Getting this done takes discipline. Fortunately, I’ve learned to follow Hemingway’s habits. Here’s my day:

7:30 AM: Awakened by Harry and Mystery, our two cats, howling for breakfast.

Ignore cats and fall back asleep. Reporter husband Don Crinklaw gets up and feeds the cats, then goes to work in his home office.

NOTE: I never read anywhere that Hemingway fed his cats. They must have been self-reliant and hunted their own food.

8:30 AM: Wake up again. Stumble to kitchen. Put tea bag in cup. Stare at tea kettle. Microwave bowl of heart-healthy oatmeal.

8:35: Realize tea kettle has to be turned on for water to boil.

8:40: Carry rapidly cooling oatmeal and hot tea back to bed. Start reading page proofs while scratching Harry’s ears. I am good at multitasking.

8:50: Scratch Mystery. Fairness is important. Get dressed. Throw in load of laundry.

9:00 AM: At my desk, ready to write, just like Hemingway. Except I have to check the Internet first. Laugh at Simon’s Cat cartoon, "Fly Guy."  http://tinyurl.com/m9bdzs

Then check out cute puppy video:  http://tinyurl.com/aqgxjt7

9:10: Post Simon’s Cat video on Facebook. Invite 50 Facebook friends to "like" my new Elaine Viets Mystery Writer page. http://www.facebook.com/ElaineVietsMysteryWriter

9:15: Yikes! I have 110 e-mails. Answer two. Try to find a polite way to refuse a nice person who wants a book for a charity auction, the fourth freebie request this week.

9:20: Fail miserably. Save charity book request for later. See the e-mail reminder that I have a Femmes blog due.

 
9:25: Kill Femmes blog reminder, reducing e-mails to 108. Scratch Harry for inspiration. Pet Mystery. Start Femmes blog.

9:30: Don finishes his feature story for the newspaper and e-mails it to his editor.

9:45: I have written 481 words, almost Hemingway’s entire daily output!

9:50: Water plant in living room. Notice cats have chewed on the leaves. Throw laundry into dryer.

10:00 AM: Read another chapter of "Board Stiff." Find an error. Hope the mistake won’t distract reviewers who will read these uncorrected proofs as bound galleys. Pray novel gets reviewed.

10:15: Answer two more e-mails. Read thought-provoking article about Taylor Swift’s suspected boob job. Look at photo gallery of other stars who’ve had breast enhancement.

Ask myself, "WWHD – What would Hemingway do?"

Decide he’d look at the photos, too, but in a different way. Go back to writing.

10:25: Don is on the phone, interviewing sources for his next story.

10:30: Take break from blogging to water wilting basil plant.

10:45: Post on a list about how much work I’m getting done.

11:00 AM: Don is interviewing a third source for his story.

11:05: Take a break from writing to read more "Board Stiff." Fold laundry. Look for cats to scratch but they’re asleep in the bathtub.

11:30: Finish blog. I’ve exceeded Hemingway’s daily output by more than 175 words long before his two o’clock deadline.

All it takes is concentration.

 

 

 

A new hobby for a new year

by Kris Neri

I’ve always enjoyed cooking, but I’ve never been much of a baker. Not only do we not eat many desserts in our house, it seems to require more precision than my cooking style lends itself to. I’m more the “let’s throw in something extra and see what happens” type. Often that’s a function of what groceries we actually have on hand. I suspect most desserts don’t benefit from replacing sugar with onions. 

Making it even more difficult, we live at altitude, which comes with a whole different set of challenges.

Despite having lived here for eight years, since I’m also someone who avoids needless difficulty, I’ve mostly managed not to learn anything about what that demands.

Altitude does impact cooking, too, but only in the sense that the average gas stove will require an extra eternity or two to do everything. With the original stove that came with our house, we soon learned that if we required boiling water, we needed to start a day earlier to make that happen. Once we replaced it with a stove that has power burners and a convection oven, we pretty much came up to standard speed.

But combine altitude with precision, and baking, I’ve found during my occasional attempts, rarely works exactly as it should.

Sure, I know — Google has made our lives easier. It has put all the information in the world at our fingertips and nicely arranges it for us. However, that doesn’t necessarily make all that info accurate. The problem when it comes to the adaptations necessary to bake at altitude, are that the advice is all over the place. Some sources will insist that altitude demands more flour, while others maintain it’s less. Same with liquid, and about everything else you might put into a concoction.

Even worse, the exact altitude will have just as great an impact. Three thousand feet above sea level is not the same as eight thousand. They each have to function with their own parameters, as do the various points in between. Making this even more special, there’s just as much adaptation misinformation and confusion in this area of altitude baking.

What if you don’t want to invest the rest of your life into figuring it out?

But I also heard from multiple people that baking really good bread is easy and fun. I’m all about easy and fun. Best of all, unlike other forms of baking, yeast breads are incredibly forgiving — I have yet to figure out what it would take to wreck a loaf, except maybe forgetting to take it out of the oven.

I did invest a little time in sorting through the altitude advice jungle. I gave up on the more-and-
simultaneously-less conundrum, and just assumed I was on my own there. But as I said, you can’t seem to get that too wrong -- assuming you can form it into a loaf, it always bakes up beautifully. But I did learn more accurately that altitude baking does require less yeast, and slower rises, and more of them, or the bread will be too dry.

Amazingly, that dovetails beautifully with the types of artisan breads that we love.

So, I’ve started baking bread, and it is as easy and fun as I’ve heard. It makes the house smell wonderfully homey. If you have anger issues, you get to punch something that revels in being punched down. And best of all, I’ve discovered that anyone can make great bread, even total non-bakers used to thinking at altitude.

What new hobbies have you begun in this new year? 

Scotland the where?

Since I moved to California, people have asked if I'm English (answer: nearly), Swedish (answer: it's dyed), Irish (answer: close but no Guinness) and German (answer: huh?).  No one has ever asked if I'm Scottish.  In fact, a few have even argued with me: "You don't sound Scottish." "I'm from the same city as Sean Connery." "Isn't he Irish?" "Argh."

Most often though people say: "I thought you were British." I say: "I am." Then there's a puzzled silence and so begins the great Scotland, England, Wales, Northern Ireland, Southern Ireland, Great Britain, United Kingdom explainathon.  As follows:

 Ireland is Canada, Europe is Mexico, Britian is the USA, Scotland is New England, Wales is Hawaii, Northern Ireland is Alaska, the 49th parallel is the Irish Sea . . . it couldn't be simpler.  Puerto Rico is Gibralter, the Virgin Islands are the Falkland Islands . . . okay, so it could be simpler.

 And maybe, just maybe, it's about to get a lot simpler.

Some history: Scotland and England joined in 1707.  there was a . . . skirmish . . . in 1745, then a quiet spell, and Scots have been muttering about independence pretty much non-stop since 1880.  Or in domestic terms: they've been married for 300 years and considering divorce for 140 of them.  Not a fairytale romance, clearly.

Bless you, Awkward Family photos.com

The latest bout of indie fever kicked off in 2011 and I found myself cast as constitutional law expert and chief tea-leaf reader for my new American friends.

"It'll never happen," I said.  "Unless they extend the vote to 16yr olds, who're all Braveheart daft.  Ha ha.  No way."

Guess what?  They've extended the vote to 16 yr olds.

"It'll never happen,' I said. "England won't give up the North Sea oil revenue and Scotland couldn't survive without it."

Guess what?  Scotland gets 80+% of the oil money for keepsies.

"It'll never happen," I said.  "Not without a UK government in London that's less popular than a raw chicken leg at a moonlight barbecue.  With ebola dipping sauce.  And a side of roach."

Guess what?  I'm not getting into politics here chez les femmes fatales.

So, I'm really begininng to think that in a few years I might be saying: "No, Scottish.  Nope, not even close.  None of the above.  Scottish, that's me."

Until then, though, I'll just agree that I'm pretty much English, Swedish, Irish, German and British.  It's easier that way.

 

 

 

ARISIA!

by Toni L.P. Kelner

This weekend my family and I attended Arisia, which bills itself as "New England's largest and most diverse science fiction and fantasy convention." Folks, they're not kidding.

Just look at this year's Guests of Honor. For writing, it was Steven Barnes and Tananarive Due, noted SF authors who just happen to be married to one another. For art, it was Roger Dean, whose distinctive look is familiar to millions from the album covers for the band YES. And for music--yes, they had a music guest of honor which already gets them diversity points--it was Celtic band Emerald Rose. So just from those seven guests, you had an academic, a NYT bestseller, a pal of rock stars, an architect, a Brit, four guys from Georgia, a chemistry teacher, a software professional, a former member of the KISS army, and an anthropologist who did extensive field work in the Yucatan.

Note that none of those descriptions include science fiction or fantasy--part of the joy of Arisia is that the organizers don't limit themselves. They even let in mystery writers!

Given the wide variety of events going on into the wee hours of the morning--I had to sleep sometime--there's no way I can give a comprehensive account of the con, so I'll just try for a sampling.

I mentioned Roger Dean, and in addition to getting a chance to see his work up close in the Art Show, I went to a Dueling Easels event where Dean and former Arisia GoH Bob Eggleton created alien landscapes while we watched. (The woman to the far left of the picture is Dean's daughter Freya Dean, an artist in her own right. Dean pointed out that Freya is expert at drawing horses, which he has never mastered.)

 

I'm not a visual artist, but this was a treat. It never ceases to amaze me that an pictures starts out as a line, then the artist adds some more lines and some dots and maybe a blotch or two, and suddenly it's a dragon or a house or a person. My daughters, who are visual artists, got more a lot more practical inspiration out of the demonstration.

Both artists answered questions as they worked, and they were asked about their inspirations. Dean cited something I hadn't expected, but which made perfect sense: Chinese landscapes. Eggleton cited Dean, even though his work doesn't look anything like Dean's. I guess that goes to show that inspiration and copying aren't the same.

Though I wasn't attending as a pro this year, plenty of other writers were, and I met a new one: Alex Lidell. Her first novel, a young adult fantasy, was just released two weeks ago. She says she was inspired by reading Alanna by Tamora Pierce and The Three Musketeers when she was young. (She read The Three Musketters in French, English, and Russian. That's a language per musketeer!)

 

Arisia always includes historical reenactors and demonstrations of swordsmanship, but this year included a group I'd never heard of before: the Salem Zouaves. Zouaves were originally French-Algerian light infantry known for their Turkish uniforms, snazzy precision drills, and skill in battle. American militia companies were inspired by the original Zouaves, and adopted their styles and methods. Zouave drill competitions were huge before the Civil War, and Zouave companies fought on both sides of the war. The Salem Light Infantry from Salem, Mass., went Zouave in 1861, and the current crew demonstrates their skills at events all over the area.

As a long-time circus fan, I was intrigued by the listing for Piscis Volans, which calls itself New England's premier steam-punk circus troupe. (I didn't even know there was such a thing as circus troupes inspired by steampunk sensibilities! And they've got a tumblr! Get it? Tumbler/tumblr...) In fact, it was a premiere for this premier troupe: their first performance. Since it was the first, there were some technical issues, but I was impressed by their skills and really enjoyed the show. 

One think I always get a kick out of at science fiction cons is the costumes, and Arisia is a great place to see costumes inspired by books, TV shows, comics, and artistic imaginations. Not only is there an elaborate costume contest, but people wander the halls in really fabulous outfits.

This is a crew of cosplayers dressed as feminine versions of the Avengers: the Hulk, Iron Man, Captain America, and Thor. (Those are Zouaves in the background, by the way.)

 

 

Do I even need to introduce these three, who stayed in character all weekend long as they promoted a bid to bring the World SF Convention to Orlando?

 

 

Here we have Doctor Who's canine robot K9 and former companion Leela. Or, given that the Doctor is a time traveler, maybe that should be his future companion Leela. Either way, if you know the show you can appreciate how authentic these two were. Leela used a remote control to propel K9 all through the convention.

The costume on the left is a Clockwork Repair Droid based on characters in a different era of Doctor Who. The one on the right is a reimagined version of Batman. If the pictures aren't impressive enough, be aware that there is somebody in that red dress who did walk around, even without a face. And those black wings folded shut.

Here's another for Doctor Who fans--apparently this was the year of Doctor Who, because there were even more costumes inspired by the show than I could take pictures of. This lady is dressed as the TARDIS, the Doctor's space ship / time machine. You can't see it in the picture, but her crown lit up.

Even with all these pictures, I have left out so much of what I saw at Arisia, let alone all the panels, parties, and events I didn't see. But in looking over this report, I realized I'd reused the same word multiple times: inspired. Usually that's a warning sign that I need to rewrite, but this time I think it's a theme. Arisia was filled with people who don't just read books and comics, or look at art, or watch TV and movies, or listen to music. They are inspired by them to create work of their own.

Sometimes it's a faithful recreation, like the Zouaves, Leela, the Clockwork Droid, and the Disney princesses. Sometimes it's a reimagining, like the Batman, the steampunk circus, the gender-bender Avengers, and the Tardis. Sometimes the inspiration is obvious--at least in retrospect--like Roger Dean's affection for Chinese landscape painting, and sometimes less so, like Eggleton's citing Dean's work. And sometimes the inspiration takes years to come to fruition, like Alex Lidell's book. 

Arisia really is as diverse as advertised, but I think all the participants were linked by inspiration, and maybe some of us left with fresh inspiration for our own work.

BSI and Friends Weekend in NYC

by Dana

Last weekend I was in New York City for my first official trip to the Baker Street Irregulars and Friends Weekend.  I say “first official,” because I dropped by the dealer's room last year to see friends and get copies of A Study in Sherlock signed.  If you haven't read A Study In Sherlock, an amazing collection of Holmesian pastiches, go now.  I'll wait.  But even after that brief hour or so, I knew I had to come back.  For those of you who aren't familiar, the BSI (and Friends) celebrate all things Sherlockian.  It is non-stop Sherlock—The Canon, books, television, movies, Victoriana, scholarship and fandom.  It is a ridiculous amount of brainy fun, steeped in tradition.

The Distinguished Lecture was given by Kim Newman.  He focused on the connection of “diabolical geniuses” in fiction, including books, movies, comics, and other popular fiction.  (The connection is:  they are all Moriarty.)   The cocktail party (there were many!) was tremendous fun, because the best part of any weekend is the people.

(L-R:  Carla Coupe, Nancy Holder, Jan Burke, Kathy Harig, Jacquelynn Morris)

I was delighted to learn that Jan Burke was invested as a member of the BSI as “The Most Winning Woman,” and it was terrific to celebrate her with Carla Coupe and Kathy Harig.  I got to see S.J. Rozan and hear about her forthcoming book; I chatted with Les Klinger, Dan Stashower, and I met the amazing Nancy Holder in person (we knew each other from online groups).  I caught up with Jacquelynn Morris, who's invited me to present at The Scintillation of Scions in June.  I ran into other folks I knew from Malice Domestic and other mystery events.   That's the terrific thing: there's always cross-over with my other interests, whether in mystery, urban fantasy, history, Dr. Who.  Even just geeking out over the choices Martin Freeman makes in the opening scene in "The Reichenbach Fall" of BBC's Sherlock.  It is a happy Venn diagram of so many of my fannish interests.

I did sneak away to the MWA board event at Mysterious Books.  Here we see Dan Hale (right, Executive Vice President) and Charlaine Harris (left, President); I got to chat with so many wonderful folks, but especially enjoyed discussing historical fiction and short stories with Frankie Bailey and Jeri Westerson. 

There was also time—there had to be time!—to do some book business, meeting with my amazing agent Josh Getzler and folks at my publisher, 47North.  We are all very excited about the launch of Seven Kinds of Hell in March.  Below is the cover art, by the talented Christian McGrath.  I ADORE this cover!

So to my friends (old and new) at the BSI and Friends Weekend:  thank you for a wonderful weekend and I'll see you next year!

Year Of Dreams: 2012 Femmes Round-up

from Mary

 

Hey, it's January, and you know what that means. Colder weather in certain parts of the country and constant checking of our "To Do In The New Year" lists. It's a good time to look forward. The year lies ahead like miles of thick untrampled sn*w. All promise. With a dream and a plan, we hope our work over the next 12 months results in success.

It's also a time to look back. This past year, the dreams, plans and hard work of the intrepid Femmes resulted in an incredible string of successes. Here's a round-up of what hard work accomplished in 2012 and a look at some dreams-in-progress:

 

DONNA ANDREWS:

A periennial award-winning favorite, Donna started out an excellent 2012 with her previous Meg Langslow novel, THE REAL MACAW. It won the Lefty Award at Left Coast Crime for funniest book and was nominated for the Agatha for Best Novel.

SOME LIKE IT HAWK hit the New York Times extended bestseller list 
and The Chicago Tribune called it "...filled with colorful characters 
and laughs."

Donna has turned in THE HEN Of The BASKERVILLES, which will 
come out in July 2013, and is now hard at work on a new Meg Langslow 
Christmas novel, DUCK THE HALLS, which will be released in time for the 
2013 holiday season.

 

FROM DANA:

"Last year was a busy one for me with short stories in three genres! Amateur sleuth archaeologist Emma Fielding returned in "Mischief in Mesopotamia" (EQMM, Nov.); the dangerous "retired" operative Jayne debuted in a tale of revenge called "One Soul at a Time" (EQMM, June); and the Fangborn urban fantasy "Pattern Recognition," featuring Gerry and Claudia Steuben, appeared in MURDER AND MAYHEM in MUSKEGO (Down and Out Books, 2012). 

 

 

I'm very excited about 2013, too, which will bring not only more short
stories, but the debut of my first Fangborn novel, SEVEN KINDS OF HELL,
in March from 47North! I think the the gorgeous cover art (by Christian
McGrath) says it all: action and adventure with archaeology and
werewolves!"

 

FROM CHARLAINE:

"In 2012 the penultimate Sookie Stackhouse novel, DEADLOCKED, debuted at Number One on the NYT list. I also wrote a short story, "Playing Possum," for AN APPLE FOR THE CREATURE, which I co-edited with Toni L.P. Kelner. An essay on Geoffrey Household's ROGUE MALE was my contribution to BOOKS TO DIE FOR.  To my pleasure, I was asked to contribute a chapter to Jonathan Santlofer's serial novel, INHERIT THE DEAD, which will benefit Safe Horizon.

Next year will be a very exciting one for me. The final Sookie novel will be out in May, DEAD EVER AFTER.

It's a bittersweet experience bringing this series to an end, but I've started writing another series that will be quite different. I've also been working on a graphic novel in tandem with Christopher Golden. The first installment of CEMETERY GIRL will be available next October! It's been a challenge to learn a new format with new rules. I've also written a short story with Rachel Caine which will appear in the anthology DARK DUETS, and an untitled short story for the anthology Toni and I will edit this year."

 

FROM DEAN:

"2012 turned out to be a great year for me, because the third "Cat in the Stacks" novel, File M for Murder, landed at #19 on the New York Times Bestseller list. The previous two books in the serious had hit the extended list, but only the top 20 are printed in the NYT Book Review, so now I've made the printed list. A long-held dream finally realized, so anything after this is gravy."

"The fourth book in the series, Out of Circulation, debuts on January 29th. I'm currently at work on the fifth book in the series, as yet untitled, for publication in January/February 2014. I'm also pleased to mention that the Mystery Guild chose both File M for Murder and Out of Circulation to offer as selections."

 

TONI L.P. KELNER:

Toni has been on a winning streak for a long time, not only with novels but also multi-award short stories, year after year. 

 

 

Her latest anthology with co-editor Charlaine is AN APPLE FOR THE CREATURE: ALL NEW TALES OF UNNATURAL EDUCATION which includes Toni's story, "Pirate Dave and the Captain's Ghost." This is their fifth collaboration. 2013 brings the first novel in a brand new series, tentatively called Skeleton In The Family.

 

FROM CATRIONA:

New Femme Catriona has double the fun with two different book schedules, one for US publication and one for the UK. Here's the scoop:

"US Publication of DANDY GILVER AND AN UNSUITABLE DAY FOR A MURDER. Dunfermline, 1927. Aitken's Emporium (Tailors, Mantlemakers, Silk Merchants and Domestic Bazaar) is celebrating its golden jubilee while its rival, House of Aitken (Hosiers, Glovers, Clothiers and Milliners), tries as ever to put Aitken's in the shade. Dandy Gilver and Alec Osborne are engaged to find a missing heiress but as the depth of the enmity and the secrets behind the feud begin to emerge, danger abounds."

 

"UK Publication of DANDY GILVER AND A BOTHERSOME NUMBER OF CORPSES.  It's 1928.  Memories of a perfect childhood summer and discoveries of unspeakable present deeds collide when Dandy receives a crie de coeur from an old friend.  St Columba's School for Girls is in trouble, with mistresses vanishing and bodies mounting up in a most bothersome way. Can Mrs Gilver, detective, pass herself off as Miss Gilver, English mistress, to solve the one and stop the other?

 

FROM KRIS:

"I took a year off from novel publication, but I did have a fun story come out in SOWEST: DESERT JUSTICE, the anthology of my Sisters in Crime chapter, the Desert Sleuths of Scottsdale, AZ.

 

 

"In my story, “THE POWER OF BOOKS,” when a quirky high desert bookseller finds that her bookstore has been made the centerpiece of a small town crime wave, she finds an offbeat way to bring the perpetrators to justice. SOWEST: DESERT JUSTICE was chosen by Suspense Magazine as one of the best books of 2012."

 

FROM HANK:

BREAKING NEWS!  

  THE OTHER WOMAN is a Mary Higgins Clark Award nominee! So exciting to be recognized for this prestigious award from Mystery Writers of America.

 

And so terrific to meet so many of you while on tour for THE OTHER WOMAN, which came out in September. (Sex and politics, somehow, seemed to be of interest this season.) THE OTHER WOMAN stars reporter Jane Ryland on the trail of an ex-governor’s secret mistress and a cop on the trail of a killer--what happens when it turns out they may be tracking the same person? Seduction, betrayal and murder, it’ll take more than votes to win this election! Starred reviews from Booklist and Library Journal..and I am still floating over the Best Of 2012 nods from Suspense Magazine, The Kansas City Star, Oline Cogdill and the Boston Globe! And it’s an RT Reviewers Choice Nominee.

 Next fall from Forge: THE WRONG GIRL, where Jane suspects an adoption agency is reuniting birth parents with the wrong children.

 I’ll be back on the road, too! Who can suggest a good bookstore or library to come visit?

Find me at http://www.HankPhillippiRyan.com , on Facebook at  https://www.facebook.com/pages/Hank-Phillippi-Ryan-Author-Page/250706175034817
and on Twitter at @hank_phillippi

 

FROM MARCIA:

"This year I published my eleventh Hannah Ives mystery, The Last Refuge. Has Hannah made the right decision joining the cast of Patriot House, 1774, a reality show recreating eighteen-century colonial life? There's no electricity, no running water, and the cast are at the mercy of the show's `Founding Father.'

Even more worrying, Amy Cornell, Hannah's lady's maid on set, receives a text message from Drew, her Navy SEAL husband presumed dead after a botched mission ten months ago. Lights, camera, action ... can murder be far behind? "Talley makes the most of a large supporting cast, all of whom come across as distinct individuals . . . [A] clever setup and appealing lead . . ." -- Publishers Weekly.

I also have a chapter, "Detectives Have Weaknesses, Too" in Now Write Mysteries: Suspense, Crime, Thriller and Other Mystery Fiction Exercises from Today's Best Writers and Teachers. "

 

FROM ELAINE:

"In FINAL SAIL, Helen Hawthorne works undercover as a yacht stewardess. 

Marilyn Stasio wrote in the New York Times, “One way for a fugitive to hide in plain sight is to work at low-wage jobs, which is what Helen Hawthorne has been doing in Elaine Viets’s quick-witted mysteries.”

 

Mystery Shopper Josie Marcus marries veterinarian Dr. Ted Scottsmeyer in MURDER IS A PIECE OF CAKE – after she saves her meddling future mother-in-law from murder one. Jen Vido of Jen’s Jewels named it a top ten mystery of 2012. Helen’s and Josie’s adventures will continue, thanks to a new agreement with Obsidian for two books in each series.

Please "Like" my Elaine Viets Mystery Writer Page on Facebook and enter a contest to win an autographed copy of "Murder Is a Piece of Cake. Contest ends Jan. 31. Just go to: ttp://www.facebook.com/ElaineVietsMysteryWriter then enter the contest on my website."

 

That's quite a year for the Femmes and a whole lot of inspiration for everyone. May we all have a happy and inspired 2013!

 

 

 

 

Cold thoughts

by Donna Andrews

Ever want to get in a time machine and deliver a message to your younger self?

I have.  I'd prod my college self to take more science courses--especially computer courses--because I'd have been good at them and would have found them both interesting and useful.  And tell my post college self to start writing more seriously a lot sooner. And hint to myself at several ages that certain romantic disappointments weren't tragedies but lucky escapes. 

This week I'd love to go back to my first few years of working at the day job and just hang around watching until I saw myself coming down with a cold. At which point I'd scramble out of the time machine, shake my other self, and tell her "Don't be such a martyr!  Let yourself be sick, for God's sake!"

I've been sick lately--bronchitis and sinus infection on top of a cold.  Getting better--almost well now, in fact. And feeling incredibly grateful that I don't have a day job to go to anymore.

Because when I had a day job, did I drop everything and take care of myself when I realized I was getting sick with a cold or some other minor ailment?  Doing that early application of rest, fluids, and vitamins that sometimes averts a cold or at least makes it less severe?  Of course not.  If I succumbed at all, it would only be for a day or so in the middle of the cold, when I was utterly incapable of rational thought.  And then I'd push myself to go back before I was really well, leading to relapses and secondary infections.

When I left my day job after many years I had weeks of unused sick leave.  I wish now that I'd used every day of it.  And I bet the people with whom I shared my germs during those miserable days at the office would echo my wish.

All this is running through my mind because right now the Northern Virginia area, where I live, is experiencing epidemics of both influenza and Norovirus.  The CDC is calling this the worst flu season in 10 years.  Maybe I should be glad all I've had (at least so far) was the cold/sinus infection/bronchitis whammy.

My theory, for what it's worth, is that a big contributor to epidemics is people like me, who won't just let themselves be sick.  It's just a little chill, a little sniffle, a little cough, a little upset stomach. I can just work through it. I'd be letting people down if I stayed home. I'm working on trying to remember that maybe by not staying home I might be doing worse than letting people down.

I know there are people who have to soldier on when they're sick--because their bosses are mean and inflexible, because they don't have sick days left, because they don't get paid if they don’t work, or because they genuinely are doing something that cannot wait.

I'm not one of them. 

So while I can't promise you'll never again see a cough, a sneeze, or a sniffle from me--I do, after all, have allergies--I hereby pledge that I'm going to work a lot harder at staying home when I might be contagious.

Wish we could make it a movement.

Gwendoline Butler (1922-2013)

The author of seventy-five novels, published over a span of fifty years from 1956-2006, Gwendoline Butler died last week at the age of 90. Educated at Lady Margaret Hall, Oxford University, where she took a degree in history, she married Dr. Lionel Butler, a medieval historian at St. Andrews University, in 1949. She published her first novel seven years later. Receipt for Murder was the first of eventually thirty-four novels featuring London policeman John Coffin. In 1962 she adopted her grandmother's name, Jennie Melville, as a pseudonym and created policewoman Charmian Daniels who featured in twenty-two novels. She also wrote stand-alone suspense, romantic suspense, and historical fiction.

Here I will quote what my friend and co-author Jean Swanson and I wrote about Butler in two editions of our reference book By a Woman's Hand (Berkley, 1994 and 1996):

"Both Charmian Daniels and John Coffin are intelligent, intense, and curious about their fellow human beings. Whether writing as Butler or Melville, the author has a style quite different from any of her peers. She creates a chilling sense of unease unlike anyone else, except perhaps Ruth Rendell. The murderer's presence is tangible throughout each novel, like a goblin hovering on the periphery of vision. Readers looking for an unusual variation on the traditional English mystery will find Butler worth a visit."

I once wrote Gwendoline Butler a fan letter, and she replied with a charming response and included a signed paperback copy of one of her novels. A few years later I met her at the St. Hilda's Crime and Mystery Weekend at Oxford. When I introduced myself and related the story of the letter and her generous gift, she smiled and said she must really have liked my letter to have sent me a book. She was striking in person, elegantly dressed, warm and entertaining. In creating Charmian Daniels she gave the genre perhaps its first realistic policewoman, and for this and her own inimitable creations she deserves to be remembered and read for years to come.

Downton Abbey Fans!

by Mary

I adore Downton Abbey. I learned this day before yesterday, thanks to streaming Netflix. They only have season one available at the moment but that was fine. Before the first episode was over, I knew I was going to be a hardcore fan.

Goodness gracious, the writing, the incredible cast, the scenery, and most of all,

 

... the dresses! Oh, what beautiful outfits! 

It may be that two historical mystery series I've been reading lately have made watching Downton Abbey so enjoyable. If you're a fan of the show, you might enjoy these, too.

Rhys Bowen's "Royal Spyness" series stars Lady Georgiana, a young woman who happens to be Queen Victoria's great-granddaughter and 37th in line to the throne. Sounds great, but her title is more a problem than help. She's young, unmarried and trying to make it on her own in pre-WWII London. Her grandmother, Queen Mary, sends Georgie on a mission, to spy on the Prince of Wales and "that American woman" with whom he keeps company. Georgie's adventures are a delight, and the friends and family members who help her are lovable, wonderful characters.

Marion Chesney's "Poor Relations" series is set earlier, around the turn of the century, in London.  Like Lady Georgiana, Lady Fortescue is near penniless in spite of her title and lineage. She meets a gentleman in the same situation, and the two decide to pool their resources in order to survive. They enlist a few ladies and gentlemen, also in dire circumstances, to join the household.

Though not strictly mysteries, these are most enjoyable time pieces. And, since the author has some experience in mystery writing under the pseudonym M.C. Beaton, I'm sure these books will satisfy mystery readers with their wit and interesting situations.

Next up is a Marion Chesney book that has such a great title, it must be good.

Sounds like another one for Downton Abbey fans. :)

I'm sure there are other good series set in the early 1900s. Do you have any to recommend that are set near that time?

By the way, I have a particular favorite character on Downton Abbey.

 

Carson.

 

All the characters are fantastic, really, but Carson has a certain downplayed flair I love. :)

Now for Season Two!!!!