Writers Born Today - Laura Lippman

It's the birthday of journalist and crime writer Laura Lippman, born January 31, 1959. From a very early age she knew she wanted to be a novelist, though she confessed once that she didn't know "how anyone became a novelist".

It didn't stop her. Her first novel was written at age five, and was illustrated by the author. It was about a caveman, written in his native language. Sales were modest. She still has the original. (One wonders what this first edition is worth.)

He writing career began with small newspapers in Texas, She moved form there to Baltimore Sun, where she was hired as a journalist in 1991. Her first novel, Baltimore Blues, was written in her spare time and published in 1998. It was a finalist for the Shamus Award. Several more novels followed, and by 2004, she had published eight more novels, and had won multiple awards, including the Agatha, Anthony, Barry, Edgar, Macavity, Nero, and Shamus Awards (some of them twice). Not everyone was thrilled, however.

Her bosses at the Baltimore Sun resented her "spare time" writing success and demoted her to a small bureau office away from the fast paced downtown Baltimore newspaper office. Lippman left to become a full time novelist, and crime readers have been deeply grateful ever since. After more than two dozen novels and several short story collections, Laura Lippman is still writing crime novels, still winning awards, and still making history.

And those editors who resented her success and told her she couldn't write? No one will remember their names down the road. Kinda makes you feel all warm and fuzzy, doesn't it?

Credit and Thanks to Crime Reads and the Hoover Sun for their assistance in writing this post!

Writers Born Today - Julia Buckley

 This week we celebrate the birthday of crime writer Julia Buckley, born on December 30th. She's the author of over 20 mysteries, including several series. My favorite? Her Undercover Dish books which feature an adorable chocolate lab, delicious recipes, and devious murders. If you're a fan of death by poison, and Murder She Wrote, you'll love this four book series as much as I did. I recommend reading them in order, starting with The Big Chili.

A lifelong reader, her mother (a librarian herself) took here to the library at an early age and encouraged her to read. During this period, Julia was introduced to dozens of writers, including Ngaio Marsh, Agatha Christie, Patricia Wentworth, and Dorothy Sayers. 

Julia later became a teacher, and has taught in Chicago schools for many years. Her first book, Madeline Mann, appeared in 2007, a three part cozy series. Her latest series, the Hungarian Tea-House Mysteries, features a woman who solves crime in her family's tea shop. The first book in the series is Death in a Budapest Butterfly. All the books in this series show the influence of Hungarian folklore and the cozy writing style which has made her books adored by fans.

Julia holds a special place in my heart, as she was the first writer to interview me on her blog after the publication of my cozy mystery, way back in 2008. You can learn more about Julia Buckley through her blog, Mystery Musings.

Considering how productive  and popular Julia has been, shouldn't there be a TV pilot by now? Anybody have Hallmark's phone number?

WRITERS BORN TODAY - SEAN CHERCOVER

 It's the birthday of crime writer Sean Chercover, who burst onto the writing scene in 2007 with an award winning novel, Big City, Bad Blood. After winning the Shamus Award for his debut novel, Chercover followed this up with Trigger City, which won the Dilys Award.

Since that time he has published 8 more novels and a collection of short stories. He has received Ten Major Award Nominations and Three Awards, including the Anthony Award for Best Short Story.

Before becoming a crime writer, Sean was a private investigator in Chicago, the setting for many of his stories. His resume includes stints as a scuba diver, a truck driver, a magician, and a salesman. Needless to say, he's been around the block. All of this has helped to infuse his stories with a gritty reality born of experience.

Besides his stories, Sean's advice to his fellow writers has inspired countless scribblers to follow in his footsteps. Some of his best advice can be found here.

1. There’s no secret formula. The main thing is, you write Sounds obvious, yet it amazes me how many people say they want to be writers but don’t write. Odd, that. Anyway, you write, and then you write some more. You revise, and then you revise some more. You show your work to others and you learn from their reactions.
2. You read. I’m even more astounded by people who claim they want to write, but they don’t read. Can you imagine a musician who doesn’t listen to music? Of course not. So you read a ton, you read constantly, and you read critically, with an eye to the workings of the craft. I don’t mean reading books about how to write – I mean reading fiction.  Should go without saying, really.
3. Don’t confuse reading books on the craft of writing with the act of writing. You must write. And while it’s essential to learn the craft, in the end you must write your own story in your own voice.

MYSTERY HISTORY - HEAT RELEASED 30 YEARS AGO TODAY

 On December 15, 1995, HEAT debuted in movie theaters. Starring Al Pacino and Robert DeNiro, the film covers the lives of a professional thief named Neil McCauley (played by DeNiro) and Vincent Hanna, the detective hunting him (Pacino). The film was a box office success, and soon became a cult classic for its accurate descriptions of police tactics and crime planning, especially in the area of bank robberies. The climactic bank robbery shootout scene was so well planned that the U.S. Army has shown it to new recruits as an example of best practices for falling back in a battle when faced with overwhelming forces.

Besides featuring Pacino and DeNiro, the film is packed with well known stars. Val Kilmer, Ashley Judd, Wes Studi, Ted Levine, Jon Voigt, and Tom Sizemore all portrayed important characters and gave outstanding performances. 

The film was unusual in several respects. At 171 minutes, nearly three hours long, it broke one of the cardinal rules of successful filmmaking...keep it under two hours. Despite this, not a minute is wasted.

Every scene contributes to the viewers understanding and enjoyment. The film also used live gunfire for the audio. Shot on location in Los Angeles, the industrial landscape of many scenes lent a gritty authentic feel to the film. But perhaps the most important broken rule is the portrayal of the villain as a complex character with intelligence, emotional maturity, and a dedication to professionalism in his work. Neil McCauley isn't a hood or a thug. He's a professional thief, and he takes his work seriously. These are qualities he shares with the protagonist, Vincent Hanna.

 One of the best scenes in the movie features a meeting with these two pros, when Hanna pulls over McCauley, not to arrest him, but to invite him for a cup of coffee. Seated across from each other in a restaurant, Hanna uses this as an excuse to quiz McCauley, hoping to learn about his futures plans, and perhaps convince McCauley to abandon his chosen profession. McCauley's frank answers earns him some respect, and both men reveal more about themselves than they may have intended. 

HEAT is ranked as one of the top crime films of the 1990s and has influenced numerous works in film and in the written word. A prequel/sequel novel, HEAT 2 was published in 2022 as a joint effort written by the director of the original movie, Michael Mann, and best selling crime writer Meg Gardiner.

A sequel film is in the planning stages, with production to start in 2026. Leonardo DiCaprio is being considered for one of the roles, as is Christian Bale.

WRITERS BORN TODAY - W. R. BURNETT

It's the birthday of W. R. Burnett, born on this day in 1899. His crime novels set the standard for noir fiction and film in the 1930s and 40s. High Sierra, Little Caesar, and The Asphalt Jungle defined crime in Hollywood film and on the written page.

As a young man, Burnett got his start in politics, working on political campaigns for the Governor of Ohio. He soon discovered that the line between crime and public service was a thin one. "I knew from my earliest memory of how politics and crime were interwoven.", he said. He read everything he could get his hands on, good or bad. The novels he thought most important as a writer included Hemingway’s A Farewell to Arms and The Sun Also Rises, Fitzgerald’s The Great Gatsby, and Appointment in Samarra by John O’Hara. Not bad for someone typecast as a crime writer.

With Burnett, plot played second fiddle to his character's fate. “I don’t have any plot in my books. Just life. And the relationship of characters and what happens to them”. In the end, most of his characters succumb to their own flaws.

Perhaps no work expressed this philosophy more than the novel The Asphalt Jungle. Made into a classic film, it portrays the heist of a jewelry store by a group of skilled professionals. Despite their initial success, the robbers are picked off one by one through a combination of their weakness, greed, and plain bad luck.

In 1980, he was awarded the Grand Master Award by the Mystery Writers of America, their highest honor.

You'll Have A Great Day With Eight Very Bad Nights!

 

The holidays are approaching, and if you have the urge to sneak away from the family festivities and curl up with a good book, I have a suggestion…Eight Very Bad Nights: A Collection of Hanukkah Noir.

This collection of short stories centered around Hanukkah provides great entertainment and will appeal to everyone, regardless of your religion. After all, you don't have to be Jewish to appreciate a painful holiday spent with your boorish uncle or snoopy sister, wondering to yourself, "Aren't you dead yet?". There's something refreshing in seeing someone you despise get their just desserts (after a lavish dinner, of course). And after reading these stories, those homicidal urges should be satiated.

If they aren't, please resist the urge to use this collection as a HOW-TO guide to homicide (not that it doesn't contain a few good tips). Otherwise, you'll be spending the rest of your life in a prison cell, with plenty of time on your hands. Come to think of it, that's a lot of reading time, isn't it? But I digress.

Several great crime writers contributed to this collection edited by best-selling writer Tod Goldberg, many of whom I recognized, and a few who were new to me. You'll enjoy them all. There's even a story by Tod's brother, Lee Goldberg, a best-selling writer himself. Imagine having to edit your own brother's story submission...I wonder how that went over at the holiday dinner?

I CAN NEVER SAY GOODBYE TO INSPECTOR SAMUEL TAY. NEITHER SHOULD YOU.

 Jake Needham's latest novel, Goodbye, Mr. Boogie, continues the saga of protagonist Samuel Tay, recently retired from the Singapore homicide squad.  This series won the Barry Award for "Who The Hell Is Harry Black?" (recognition that was long overdue in my humble opinion).

In this latest installment, Samuel Tay is enjoying retirement, but still in demand for his expertise in criminal investigations. So it's no surprise when a friend from the Thailand Police sends an emissary to ask for help. It seems an international assassin is targeting a Global Summit in Bangkok, where several world leaders are meeting. There's just one problem. No one knows who this assassin is targeting, or if he really exists. And Tay's presence may just be a convenient way to use him as a scapegoat if things go sour.

Inspector Tay has a challenge on his hands. Only his loyalty to a friend convinces him to stay on the case. But with nothing to go on, not even a name, the challenge seems insurmountable. With help from a young female police officer, Tay begins to make progress when a suspect appears. He also discovers that his partner may be a romantic interest, and for a long time bachelor, this complicates his task.

Inspector Tay isn't above liberating some potential evidence without the benefit of a warrant. But when you're battling an international assassin, the rules can be flexible. Is that a good word to use when you're breaking the law? I like it. Let's use it...flexible. His quick hands turn out to be useful. But as the case races to it's conclusion, Tay begins to suspect that the obvious solution may not be the right one. Is Tay on the verge of cracking the case? Or is he being setup?

Readers say that books can transport us to another world. That's true. Whenever I finish an Inspector Tay novel, I lean back and close my eyes. In a few moments I am walking down the street where Samuel Tay lives. I ring the bell, and am invited in, offering a bottle of Irish whiskey. Tay produces the ice and the glasses. We retire to his back yard, surrounded by bamboo. We watch the birds, and enjoy the silence. No one speaks. There is no need for conversation. Tay smokes a cigarette. I don't mind. A former smoker understands. And that is all I need.

Join me. You won't regret it.