How Angela Lansbury Helped Shape My First Novel

 By now most of you know that Angela Lansbury has passed away. As she leaves us, a generation of television viewers who grew up on her portrayal of Jessica Fletcher in the mystery series Murder, She Wrote, pause to reflect on her legacy. For many, her TV stardom was the first introduction to this versatile actress. But her acting career spanned an incredible eight decades. 

She made her first movie appearance in 1944 in the suspense film Gaslight. This earned her an Academy Award nomination for her sinister performance. In 2014, she made her last acting appearance in Noel Coward's comedy play Blithe Spirit as Madam Arcati, a spiritual guide and potential huckster.

I've seen most of Angela's roles over the years. Her portrayal of Eleanor Iselin in The Manchurian Candidate is a personal favorite. But her influence on my writing has a direct link to the success of her portrayal of a widowed amateur sleuth from the small town of Cabot Cove, Maine. 

While still working on the first draft of In The Dismal Swamp, I decided to target the cozy mystery market. I didn't have an agent, and at the time, most of the publishers who I thought might work with me were focused on the cozy. It was then that I realized that I didn't know exactly what a cozy was...I just had a vague idea. Then someone (an agent?) mentioned Murder, She Wrote. "You want cozy? Jessica Fletcher's cozy!"

That's when I understood. I'd watched MSW for years and the successful formula of minimal violence, the absence of cuss words and quaint settings made sense for my manuscript. The basic structure was the same, whether it was film, television or printed fiction. And the rules for cozy are pretty strict. At one point, my editor suggested (strongly) that I remove the word "piss" from my manuscript, as it wouldn't pass muster.

 Naturally I complied. It wasn't a big issue for me, but it did teach me an important lesson. You need to target your audience. It my case, it was a cozy publisher, and I eventually found one in Avalon Books of New York (which was later purchased by Thomas & Mercer).

Since then I've moved onto different sub-genres of the mystery novel. My current WIP is a heist novel, and you can bet I won't be pitching it to The Hallmark Channel. But I won't forget the lessons I learned from Angela Lansbury. 

If you're a fan of cozy mysteries, you can purchase my novel using the link in the blog post above. I also recommend Nancy Cohen, Agatha Christie, Edith Maxwell, and Eva Gates.

Mystery Weekend Roundup for January 12, 2014

Edgar Allan Poe Birthday Bash!

Got plans for the 18th of January? Head on over to the Edgar Allan Poe Museum in Richmond, Virginia for the 205th Birthday celebration of the founding father of American horror and mystery.  Starting at 12 Noon, the schedule is packed with discussions, readings, a murder trial and a tour of the museum. The cake cutting is at 6 PM and at midnight, participants will raise a glass in a toast to Poe. Authors from the new Anthology, Virginia Is For Mysteries, will also be there to discuss their new book. All this for only five bucks!

Well, what are you waiting for? Click here to see the full schedule.


Rest In Peace, Poe's Deadly Daughters

We are saddened to report that a popular mystery blog, Poe's Deadly Daughters, will cease publication on January 19th, the anniversary of the birth of Edgar Allan Poe. On that day, their last blog post will be published. For seven years, these "daughters" of mystery and suspense have entertained and enlightened us with their comments, interviews and reviews. Library Journal placed them in its Top Ten List of mystery blogs.

Julia Buckley had this to say about the blog: "It's been wonderful to work (virtually) alongside some terrific mystery writers and to explore some interesting ideas about writing, reading, and publishing, as well as sharing little tidbits about ourselves. We're most grateful to those who were readers and left comments that provoked such great discussion."

One of my first interviews as a newly published writer occurred here with Julia.  Along with Sharon Wildwind, Sandra Parshall, Elizabeth Zelvin, Sheila Connolly, Jeri Westerson, Darlene Ryan (aka Sofie Kelly) and Lonnie Cruse, they will be missed. But the blog will remain, for writers and the curious to stumble across and discover anew.


Anniversary of the Death of Agatha Christie

It was on this day in 1976 that Agatha Christie passed away at the age of 85.  She is of course one of the top selling mystery writers of all time. The last novel she wrote, Postern of Fate, was published in 1973, though it was not the last to be published. She also wrote romance novels under the pen name, Mary Westmacott. 

Just a few months ago, the estate of Agatha Christie announced that a new Hercule Poirot novel would be written by author Sophie Hannah in Christie's style.  Think you could write like Agatha Christie? The estate is accepting submissions for Chapter 4. You can read the details at Agatha Christie's home page. Why not give it a try?


A Fracking Good Story - Writers Enter 2014 Armed With New Words

Writers struggle to find just the right word to express their ideas, emotions and stories. As Mark Twain said, "'The difference between the right word and the almost right word is the difference between lightning and a lightning bug."

We have a bevy of new words to add to our literary arsenal, including bitcoin, selfie, fracking and twerk, to name just a few (oh, wait, three is a few, isn't it?).

Well, you get the point. Some of these have actually been around for decades (ie: twerk), but have only now gained popularity.

So bone up on these new offerings. You can find a great list of recent words that have entered the English language in the Oxford English Dictionary. Check out more references by clicking here, and here. Or as Irish crime writer Declan Burke would say, clickety-click here.


The Worst Reads For 2013?

By now you've probably been blinded by the "best-of" book lists that every publisher, book reviewer and blog poster has thrust at you like a red hot poker. So I thought you might find this list amusing. Posted on Beneath The Stains Of Time, its the Worst Mystery Reads of 2013. You'll be surprised by who made the list. And if you're a writer, have no fear...all of these were written decades ago. Enjoy!

Mystery Weekend Roundup for Friday December 13, 2013

Fear of Friday the 13th Has a Long History

Today is Friday the 13th, a day so rooted in ancient fears and phobias, that even in this modern age, it paralyzes some people. According to an article in the National Geographic, fear of this date will effect at least 17 million people and cost the economy almost a billion dollars in lost productivity. One historian traces the fear to the number 13 and an old Norse legend. Other associations are rooted in religion. Judas, for example, is the 13th guest at the Last Supper and betrays Christ to the Romans.

In 1980, the teen slasher film Friday the 13th was released and has spawned an entire horror movie industry.

Even today, most buildings and high rises have no 13th floor, and your chances of being assigned room 13 in your local hospital or inn are practically nil.

In a bizarre coincidence, the Apollo 13 mission, which crippled the spacecraft and nearly cost three astronauts their lives, was launched on 4-11-70. The digits total to 13. The launch time was 1:13 PM, 13:13 in military time. The crew was scheduled to arrive at the moon on April 13th. The rest, as they say, is history.

By the way, the fear of Friday the 13th is known scientifically as  friggatriskaidekaphobia. Bet you can't say that fast three times in a row.


More Gift Ideas for the Holidays


Mystery Scene Magazine has a great book list out if you're looking for gift ideas. There's something in here for everyone, whether you've been naughty or nice, including a travel book by Agatha Christie and a bio of  Raymond Chandler. New works include a recently discovered treasure chest of Dashiell Hammett stories and a great anthology of female suspense writers put together by Sarah Weinman. There's even a collection of Christmas mysteries edited by Otto Penzler.


Need more ideas? Here are some additional "Best of" lists compiled by various websites, blogs and publishers.

Best Crime Fiction 2013 from down under by Fiona Hardy.

NPR Guide to the best Mysteries and Thrillers.

Best Books of the Year from the St. Louis Post Dispatch.

Best Mystery & Thriller List from Publishers Weekly.

Goodreads Choice Awards for 2013.

Top 100 Books from the Kansas City Star.


Creativity...It's a Good Thing! Isn't It?

An interesting article crossed my desk from Slate Magazine, suggesting that while we all crow about the importance of creativity in our lives and jobs, we really don't like it.

Could this be true? After all, every resume on the planet probably contains some reference to "thinking outside the box". But in the real world, we prefer risk averse behavior, and working with people who fit inside the box...and the cubicle.

A study from Cornell University confirms this theory. But in a surprise, according the author of the study, Barry Shaw, "The effect can liberate creative people from the need to fit in and allow them to pursue their interests."

This may not be as crazy as it sounds. Many a great work of art has originated from misfits and nonconformists. The very act of writing a novel to completion is a massive act of creativity that very few of us 6 billion people ever accomplish. How many times have you ever heard the phrase, "I've always wanted to write a novel"? And how many of those people ever do?

Perhaps that's for the best. Frankly, I don't have time to read the pile of books I've got on my nightstand now!