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Winter, 2006-07
Volume 10, No. 2 Humans probably established end-of-year partying to help disguise the short, dark days of winter. But when we know the light is returning, we can plan and envision and refresh our lives with one of the best things ever: a new beginning, a fresh start. The untrodden snow, the empty flower bed, the blank page—all inspire us to blaze a path, create a garden, write immortal words. Sometimes, new beginnings appear as an opportunity; sometimes, life hands out endings that force the new to sprout. We've written before about how each of us goes about beginning a new book. In this issue, we discuss other aspects of a fresh start.
Valerie Wolzien Twenty years ago I sat down at a typewriter set on a rickety rackety card table in the corner of my bedroom and began what became my first Susan Henshaw mystery novel. I had no idea it would turn out to be the one manuscript I actually would complete, the first to be published, and the original in a series of fourteen books. But beginning to write anything is an act of faith and I was happy. These days, it's not Susan Henshaw or Josie Pigeon I write about. These days I'm getting to know two women: Florence Spotswood and Reed Lawrence. I'm beginning a new series. To be more accurate, I'm at the beginning of two new series. The best thing about this situation is I'm getting to know two diverse characters—two women who live in the same city (Philadelphia), but who are quite different. One is happily married. One is less happily single. One is newly wealthy. One is always wondering who will pay for her next cocktail. One is in her late sixties. The other is barely thirty. One is reluctantly investigating a murder because she wants to know who killed her favorite relative. And the other is hiding from the police who suspect her of killing her ex-fiancé. And, just like twenty years ago, I'm having a wonderful time. Look for Valerie's article about The Murder of Roger Ackroyd in Mystery Muses: 100 Classics That Inspire Today's Mystery Writers, just published by Crum Creek Press. Find Valerie at valerie@wolzien.com.
Lee Harris Ring out the old! The news is not quite so cheery as the Tennyson quote. The Cinco de Mayo Murder, my most recent book, is almost surely the last of the Christine Bennett series. My publisher is no longer interested in publishing paperback original mystery series. The fate of the Jane Bauer series is still up in the air. So what to do? I am, of course, writing a new book. It's a thriller with a cast of appealing characters from the president and his family to a Blackfoot Indian from Montana. I am doing this on speculation with the hope that it will find a publisher. The good news is that I am loving every minute of writing it. Happily, almost all the Christine Bennett books are in print and all three of the Janes are also. But I am concerned about them less as I learn more about my new characters: how they think and interact, what they look like, how the murders affect them. It's gratifying to find myself as involved in their lives as I have been in Chris's and Jane's for many years. The Good Friday Murder was published in 1992 and nominated for an Edgar in 1993. That's a long affiliation with my characters. So think positively. Have a Happy New Year. Ring in the new! Lee Harris's most recent book, The Cinco de Mayo Murder, is available everywhere. Email her at MysMurder@aol.com.
Jonnie Jacobs I love beginnings—a new year, a new day, even the oft-dreaded Monday. And I especially love beginning a new book. Getting characters into trouble is a lot easier than getting them out it! But more than that, I like the freshness of a new book. I have a pretty good idea of my characters, but they always surprise me. I think I know where the story is going, but it rarely does. At the start of a book, anything is possible. That's not to say that writing the opening is easy. The author needs to hook the reader and draw her in; to set the tone and introduce a myriad of characters; to frame reader expectations in a way that can be delivered upon. My upcoming release, The Next Victim, seventh in the Kali O'Brien series, begins with the murder of two women. The lead detective, who was involved with one of the women, focuses on Kali's brother, John, as the main suspect. John dies of an apparent suicide before he is arrested. His ties to the victims, as well as two other women, one dead, one missing, lead Kali to wonder who her brother really was. The fun for me was in developing the relationships and tensions among the characters, and in gradually revealing their secrets. My previous book, The Only Suspect, now available in paperback, began with the disappearance of Dr. Sam Russell's second wife. He awakes with no memory of the previous night, to find her missing. Having stood trial for the murder of his first wife, he knows he's in trouble. Again, the unfolding story of Sam's two marriages, and his interactions with the female cop assigned to the case, were a large part of what propelled my interest. Whether in fiction or real life, the lure of beginnings is in starting with a clean slate. Of course it's easier to do in a book, which is why I especially enjoy starting a new one. Look for The Next Victim in February 2007. Jonnie can be reached at jonnie@jonniejacobs.com.
Lora Roberts Not to rain on anyone's parade, but there's a downside to the whole new beginnings thing. The lure of the fresh sheet of paper is indeed strong. Trouble is, that new beginning beckons most strongly when your current book gets too needy. A story should have a beginning, middle, and end. The problem is with that middle word, middle. The beginning is indeed absorbing and intoxicating; the end is a compound of exhilaration and relief. The middle lurks in between, keeping the story from advancing, and in some cases, blocking the end from ever occurring. Sagging everywhere, the middle is a pathetic thing; fickle writers such as myself are lured away to fascinating new characters and gleaming new plots, whose terminal problems and sheer improbability are not yet apparent. My most recent book, The Affair of the Incognito Tenant, took fifteen years to finish. At the least sign of trouble, I put it aside for more gratifying writing on fresh new books whose problems didn't yet give me headaches. I wrote about Liz Sullivan, whose life in present-day Palo Alto was much easier for me to comprehend than that of my protagonist in Tenant, who lives in the England of 1903. Even when I stopped writing about Liz Sullivan, I was afraid to pick up Tenant again. Fortunately, your mother was correct when she told you to face your fears and get over it. When I finally took Tenant out of its drawer, I found that my subconscious, given fifteen years to accomplish the task, had obligingly solved many of the problems I had thought insurmountable. I'm writing a second book with Charlotte Dodson and Holmes; true, I've been distracted here and there. But I know now that no matter how tantalizing it appears, the new beginning will need an ending to become a book.Lora works slowly, to accommodate her poky subconscious, on The Contentious Jewel. E-mail her at myslora@pacbell.net.
Lee Harris ~ Jonnie Jacobs ~ Lora Roberts ~ Valerie Wolzien ©2005-06 by Lee Harris, Jonnie Jacobs, Lora Roberts and Valerie Wolzien. |
