Writers Born Today - Sara Paretsky

It's the birthday of Sara Paretsky, born June 8, 1947 in Ames Iowa.  She moved to Kansas as a child when her father got a job as a professor at the University of Kansas in Lawrence. Segregation was still the order of the day, and her family had to get a house in the country because realtors wouldn't sell a house in town to a Jewish family.

Her older brother Jeremy taught her to read. But as the only daughter much of the housework fell on her shoulders. She blossomed after leaving Kansas for Chicago, the setting for many of her novels. The first, Indemnity Only, came out in 1982 and introduced the world to Private Eye V.I.Warshawski. Mystery fiction would never be the same. She was one of the first writers to create a series around a strong professional female protagonist who could solve crimes without the help of a man.

Paretsky helped change the way women were treated in the publishing world, and she set the stage for the emergence of many other female writers in the mystery genre. She, along with a group of other women writers who had attended the first Women In The Mystery conference, created Sisters In Crime in 1986.

In 2011, the Mystery Writers of America awarded her the Grand Master for her contributions to the mystery genre.

Her latest V. I. Warshawski novel, Brush Back, will be published in July and is already getting rave reviews.

To read the story about the origins of Sisters In Crime, clickety-click here.

Happy New Year 2015! Toss some of these into your resolution list.

101 Things To Do Before You Die - For Crime Writers.

1. Write a minimum of 500 words a day, every day of the year, every year, until you die.
2. Subscribe to Crimespree magazine.
3. Make the pilgrimage to Bouchercon.
4. Take the Konrath Quiz!
5. Read The Rap Sheet and then visit the links listed on the right sidebar…all 511 of them.
6. Read The Unquiet Night by Patricia Carlon. Be amazed.
7. Join Crimespace. Then go to Australia. Track down Daniel Hatadi (creator of Crimespace). Buy him a beer. Praise him highly in front of the other bar patrons (while you’re still sober, so they know you really mean it).
8. Write your own obituary. It's your last chance to promote yourself (and keep the skeletons in your closet hidden).
9. Read agent Janet Reid’s blog. If you get a chance to meet her at a writer’s conference, introduce yourself, and thank her for the priceless advice. Then shake her fin.
10. This year, query three agents a week until you snag one. Start here and here.
11. Get your mystery novel published.
12. Then, join the Mystery Writers of America.
13. Interview someone who is behind bars because of his/her crimes, OR interview a member of Congress who got elected because of his/her crimes.
14. Visit San Francisco and stop at all the landmarks mentioned in the novels by Dashiell Hammett.
15. Buy a bottle of Maker’s Mark. Sip it while you read the August Riordan PI series by Mark Coggins. Note: There are several books in the series…you may need more than one bottle.
16. Get on a panel at a writer’s conference, as a moderator or participant & teach your fellow writers about a topic you’re an expert on or excited about.
17. Learn how to kill someone with poison and get that story published.
18. Read the noir novels of Dorothy B Hughes, including In A Lonely Place.
19. Contact your local coroner and ask to witness an autopsy. Go on an empty stomach and take nose plugs.
20. Write and publish a story from the killer’s point of view and make him/her sympathetic.
21. Ditto from the victim’s point of view, but make him/her despicable.
22. Meet Sarah Weinman, editor, crime fiction critic and commentator extraordinaire. Prostrate yourself before her while you chant “I’m not worthy!” Follow her on Twitter and browse her blog.
23. Write a book review and get it published in your local newspaper, whether it’s the New York Times or the Small Town Gazette.
24. Attend the Love is Murder conference in Chicago. If you see Hanley Kanar, the conference organizer, say hello and tell her "Thanks".
25. Participate in National Novel Writing Month. One month...50,000 words. You can do it. More important, you'll learn from this.
26. Read all of JA Konrath’s Jack Daniels novels. As you read each one, have a drink from the recipe in the front of the novel.
27. Post a large map of the United States on your wall, cover your eyes, and throw a dart at it. Drive to the spot you struck, then write a crime story about the trip. Please note: The high cost of travel is not technically a crime.
28. Join Sisters In Crime. They take men too.
29. Meet Ben LeRoy of Tyrus Books (and the founder of Bleak House Books). Tell him thanks for publishing some great novels. Then buy a few and read them.
30. Attend a pitch session at every writer’s conference you attend.
31. Send an autographed copy of your novel to David J Montgomery, because those are the ones he keeps. Thank him. Read his blog, the Crime Fiction Dossier.
32. Write a cozy, a police procedural and a thriller and get them each published under different pen  names.
33. If you’ve never tasted it, try absinthe.
34. Visit Hemmingway's home in Cuba.
35. Research a high profile criminal case in your city. Go to the courthouse and arrange to see the trial transcript (it's in the public record). Then read it cover to cover.
36. Learn to read a foreign language. Read a foreign language mystery novel in the original. Then translate it into English, or your native tongue.
37. At your next writer’s conference, go to the lobby or main meeting room after all the panels are done and read one of your favorite mystery stories out loud, even if no one is listening.
38. Meet Julie Hyzy and chat with her. Be inspired by her optimistic and bubbly personality (you can actually hear the bubbles in her voice…it’s quite amazing). Oh, and read her books, starting with State of the Onion. Ask her about being interviewed by the Secret Service. (This will happen when you do extensive online research about the layout of the White House).
39. Visit the grave of Edgar Allan Poe, at night. Leave a rose.
40. Write a story about your boss. Use a pen name (trust me on this one).
41. Read Vanish by Tess Gerritsen. It’s the one she’ll be remembered for a hundred years hence.
42. Create your own blog. Promote your writing. Don’t forget to credit the other writers who helped you along the way.
43. Attend at least one writers conference a year. If you go to two or more, choose at least one you’ve never attended. The fresh faces you meet will energize your writing.
44. Visit your local police department and ask to participate in a ride along one night to see your hometown through the eyes of a cop.
45. Read Spinetingler Magazine.
46. Each December create your own Top Ten List of favorite mystery novels published that year and post it on your blog. Exclude the best sellers. Give us something new.
47. Plan the perfect crime...with one flaw. Then write a story about it. Hide the fatal flaw that catches the bad guy/girl until the very last sentence.
48. Go to the library and stroll down the fiction aisles. Find a novel or collection of stories by a writer you’ve never heard of until this moment. Then check out the book and read it.
49. Subscribe to the DorothyL website, or follow them on Facebook.
50. Throughout the year keep track of all your writing-related expenses, including membership dues to MWA and SINC (yes, they're legitimate business expenses). Use them to reduce your writing income. Don't forget to calculate self-employment tax. Here's are some handy references, Schedule C Profit or Loss From Business and Instructions For Form 1099-MISC, compliments of the IRS.
51. Send a copy of your published book and a handwritten fan letter to your favorite author, with return postage, and ask them to autograph it.
52. Make a movie trailer for your first/next book release and post it on your blog and on Youtube.
53. Check the obituaries to find recently deceased authors whose stories you've never read.
54. Enter one writing contest a year with a novel length unpublished manuscript from your drawer.
55. Serve on a jury.
56. Read Sandra Scoppetone's Jack Early or Lauren Laurano series. Check out her blog, Sandra Scoppetone's Writing Thoughts.
57. Join a writer's group and actively participate.
58. For one month, take the bus or train to work. This alone will give you enough material for three  novels.
59. Read A Newbie's Guide To Publishing, an invaluable guide for beginning writers. It's free and written by a published author who's paid his dues. 
60. Ask your family doctor the most effective way to kill someone. Explain that you are a mystery writer before he/she reaches for the phone to dial 911.
61. Send the FBI a request to see your file. (Don't laugh...you may have one). If you have one, they must give it to you by law.
62. Subscribe to Mystery Scene magazine.
63. Learn how to pick a lock. Warning: Practice on your lock only, or you'll be getting an FBI file sooner than you think!
64. Teach an adult to read.
65. Interview a member of your local law enforcement...a police officer, detective, prosecutor or judge. Publish the interview. If you can record the interview, post it as a podcast.
66. Write a story in which the victim is murdered by a member of the animal kingdom.
67. Every month, read at least one newspaper from each continent. For some suggestions, start here: Africa, Asia, Australia, Europe, North America, South America, and Ireland (OK, so Ireland isn't a continent, but we have expats on every continent). Wants more choices? Click here for dozens of world newspapers.
68. Pick one novel or story that the world cannot live without, and commit it to memory.
69. Get your PI license. Fill out the application, study for the exam, and pass it.
70. Write a crime story in which the weapon of choice is a computer connected to the internet.
71. Take a literary vacation and visit the homes of your favorite authors.
72. Review the police logs in your city. You may have to request these in person, so if you go to your local police station, make sure you have no outstanding warrants. (You would not believe how many people fumble this one).
73. Go into the attic and dig out an old family photo that has a scene or family member who no one remembers or can name. Study the photo. Write their story. Include a crime.
74. Eat right and get enough exercise. Writing takes stamina and besides, you'll need to live a long life to finish all the items on this list.
75. Take a train trip across America. See this country from a vantage point other than an interstate highway. You'll see railroad yards, bustling factories, mighty rivers and breathtaking natural wonders. Gotta be a story in there somewhere.
76. Take a tour of Alcatraz.
77. Go to your local library and give a talk about your book or the mystery genre.
78. Find an obscure and irrelevant law that is still on the books and write an article about it in your local paper. Try to get it repealed. (Eg: In Kansas City, MO, Minors are not allowed to purchase cap pistols, however they may buy shotguns freely.)
79. Volunteer at your local church, homeless shelter or women's shelter.
80. Learn to shoot and handle a gun. Take a gun safety course. Get your concealed carry permit, even if you don't own a firearm, just because you can.
81. Spend a full day at the New York City Public Library main branch, browsing the shelves. Take a map, so you don't get lost.
82. Who gets your royalties...Spouse? Children? The dog? Write a will, before you die. It's really hard to write one after. Do it now, or some stranger in a black robe will decide who gets what.
83. Read Lee Lofland's blog, The Graveyard Shift on a regular basis. The tips will make you a better crime writer.
84. There are over 10,000 pieces of artwork still missing from the looting of Europe in World War II, by both Allied and the Axis nations. Behind each one is a crime story. Write one, fiction or non-fiction.
85. Keep a journal.
86. Learn how to identify edible plants and poison mushrooms. Go on a mushroom hunt. Cook your harvest (have an expert check it). Write the story. Include a crime.
87. Broaden your horizon by following the blog, Detectives Without Borders.
88. Write a crime poem.
89. Visit the National Museum of Crime & Punishment in Washington, D.C. 
90. Listen to some Crime Jazz while you write. Click here for a good example, from the original movie version, The Taking of Pelham, One, Two, Three.
91. Commit to memory the first ten amendments to the U.S. Constitution (the Bill of Rights). Pick one and use it as the basis of a crime story.
92. Write a story about international smuggling, using one of the Big Three: Drugs, Wildlife, or People.
93. For a fascinating look at the history of crime in America, check out the FBI's website, especially the page on Famous Cases and Criminals. For a current look at crime in action, stop by Congress while it's in session.
94. Keep a copy of George Orwell's Essay, Politics and the English Language, at hand while you write. Re-read it as needed.
95. Take a class at your local college in Criminal Justice. If you have some expertise, try to arrange to teach a class.
96. Once a year, check out Writer's Digest list of “101 Best Websites For Writers”.
97. Interview a power line repairman or telephone repairman. Ask them to tell you their stories. You'll be amazed at what they've seen.
98. Go on a writer's retreat for at least a week. Leave the retreat's phone number with family for emergencies only. Turn your cellphone off. Do nothing for 7 days but write, eat, sleep and occasionally walk around. No internet, no TV. (You can read the local paper). Just write. Oh, and don't forget to breath...deeply. Very important.
99. Don't give up on a novel or story until you have at least 50 rejections. Then set it aside and work on something else. Let it ferment (better yet, use it for compost).
100. Learn to accept constructive criticism. Your editor and agent are not the enemy. Your enemy is that blank screen in front of you.
101. Got your epitaph finished? Keep it simple, but memorable. Inject some humor. Here's mine:

 SEE YOU SOON.

Writers Born Today - Sandra Scoppettone

It's the birthday of Sandra Scoppettone, award winning crime writer born June 1st, 1936 in Morristown, New Jersey.

She didn't start out writing mysteries. Her second novel, The Late Great Me, dealt with teenage alcoholism and was made into a television special that won an Emmy Award. Her next book, Happy Endings Are All Alike was chosen by the American Library Association for its Best Young Adult list. It was one of the first young adult novels to depict a gay relationship.

After an initial burst of success as a young adult novelist in the 1970s, her career seemed to hit a wall. As she put it, "I couldn’t get arrested. So I went into a funk and lay on the couch reading one crime novel after another, mostly PIs. After about a month of this a male voice started talking in my head. I thought that either I was going crazy or he was my next protagonist. I decided on the latter."

Since the voice in her head was male, she decided to use a male pen name, Jack Early, to write a PI novel. At a time when most women couldn't get crime fiction published or reviewed, it was a stroke of genius. The result, A Creative Kind of Killer was nominated for an Edgar Award and won the Shamus Award in 1985 for Best First P.I. novel. She wrote two more novels as Jack Early, Razamatazz and Donato & Daughter before reverting to her real name.

In 1991 she published the first in the Lauren Laurano P.I. novel series, Everything You Have Is Mine. The series featured a smart and sassy lesbian private eye, one of the first to depict gay characters who work, fall in love, have affairs, and get mixed up in murder, just like "normal" people. She followed it up with I'll Be Leaving You Always, My Sweet Untraceable You, Let''s Face The Music and Die, and Gonna Take A Homicidal Journey.

She also wrote two novels featuring a secretary who takes over her boss's P.I. practice while he serves in the armed forces during World War II. This Dame For Hire and Too Darn Hot featured a scrappy character named Faye Quick. These books were my first introduction to this remarkable writer, but certainly not the last ones I read.

Sandra Scoppettone is one of the founding mothers of Sisters In Crime. The meeting which started the organization took place in her apartment in Soho.

To read more about her, check out these interviews, with Allan Guthrie, and Sarah Weinman.

Many of her books are now available as ebooks. For a bibliography with links to purchase her novels, start here.

And check out my review of her novels Beautiful Rage and This Dame For Hire which was my first blog post.

Hank Phillippi Ryan at the Kansas City Library with Sisters in Crime

Here's the video from Thursday's ceremony celebrating Sisters In Crime Border Chapter 5 year anniversary. Since it's 45 minutes long, here's a rough Table of Contents.

Introduction by Linda Rodriguez, Border Chapter President
0.00 minutes

Nancy Pickard's Role and Gift  (Nancy founded the local chapter)
3.05 minutes

Hank Phillippi Ryan talks about the journey to her career as a fiction writer
4.53 minutes

Questions Session
37.12 minutes



MYSTERY WEEKEND ROUNDUP for November 23, 2013

Hank Phillippi Ryan Comes To Kansas City

We were thrilled to have Hank Phillippi Ryan, award winning writer of thrillers such as The Other Woman and The Wrong Girl at the Kansas City Library on Thursday, November 22nd. Sisters in Crime Border Chapter is celebrating its 5 Year Anniversary, thanks to writers like Nancy Pickard, who helped establish the local chapter.

Hank spoke at the Kansas City library about her career as an emmy winning investigative journalist, and how she met the challenge of switching to fiction. The transition seems to have worked. She has won the Agatha, Anthony and Macavity awards. I'll post a video link to her speech on this blog as soon as it's available.



Suspense Radio Interviews Beth Groundwater

Beth Groundwater will be interviewed today on Suspense Radio about her writing career and latest mystery novel, A Basket of Trouble, the latest in the Claire Hanover series. Beth lives in Colorado and uses the beautiful scenery as material and inspiration in her books. 

She'll be answering questions after the interview, but if you can't listen in, you can find it in the archive following the show.



Cozy Mystery Contest

If you're a fan of cozy mysteries, here's a chance to win some books from the Cozy Chicks, featuring novels from writers such as Julie Hyzy, Lucy Burdette, Krista Davis and Daryl Wood Gerber.


Get Ready for Pitch Wars!

Are you a writer with an unpublished manuscript? Need some help finding an agent or polishing the novel? Then sign up for Pitch Wars, for your chance to find a mentor who can help get that novel into shape. The next submission round starts December 2nd. Check out the link for details and to pick out a mentor who may be interested in your work. There are 32 participants, so you'll have plenty of options.  Polish up those queries and get ready to pitch!

Guest Blog Appearance at Writers Who Kill

I'm guest blogging over at Writers Who Kill, a blog for crime fiction writers and fans with a great assembly of top notch writers. My subject is A Motive For Murder. Whether it's big, small, complex or simple, every crime has a motive. What's yours?

I also have a video featured on the national website for Sisters In Crime. It follows a discussion by Nancy Pickard and Jenny Milchman on the changes seen in the world of publishing over the past thirty years. Pop on over if you are debating the pros and cons of self-publishing vs traditional publishing. The guests had some wonderful insights.

Have a great weekend.

SISTERS IN CRIME JUNE MEETING INVITES JENNY MILCHMAN AND NANCY PICKARD

Sisters in Crime Kansas/Missouri chapter was proud to have Jenny Milchman, author of the terrific debut suspense novel, Cover of Snow, and best selling author Nancy Pickard at it's monthly meeting hosted by Mysteryscape bookstore on June 1st. The two writers lead a session on how publishing has changed in the past three decades. In this video highlight, Jenny and Nancy discuss the writing process, Jenny's 13 year journey to publication, and how books tours and self-publishing have changed the book industry. We had a lot of fun, and hope they come back soon!