True Crime Tuesday for April 8, 2014

Man Arrested On Way To Hospital, Misses Birth of Child

A man driving to the hospital with his girlfriend in labor stopped to ask a police car for an escort. Unfortunately, he got more than he bargained for...he was arrested. At the time, he had a suspended drivers license and an outstanding warrant.

I appreciate respect for the law, but I'm sorry Maceo Saunders had to miss the birth of his first child. Mother and child are doing fine, and Mr. Saunders got to hold his son after posting bail. Read more about it here.


Chicago Writer Makes Appearance in True Crime Murder Case Episode

Libby Hellman, critically acclaimed author of 11 crime novels and numerous short stories, makes an appearance this Thursday on Investigation Discovery channel. Murder Mansion examines Bruce and Darlene Rouse, who were living the American Dream...until a nightmare ended it. I'm sure she'll have some insightful commentary. Don't miss it! Starts at 9 PM EST on April 10th, 2014.




Like Mother, Like Daughter

A woman who helped her underage daughter host a wild drinking party at her home claimed she had no idea what was going on when police called her cell phone. She even told them she was out of town...and then sheepishly apologized after the cops found her hiding in a bedroom at the house.

Both mother and daughter (who had to be supported by friends because she was so drunk) have been arrested. The apple apparently doesn't fall very far from this tree, but I think a little pruning may be in order. On second thought, maybe a lot.


Not A Case of Butt Dialing 911...But It's Close!

A Nebraska woman got a shock while watching TV with her dog when the Sarpy County dispatch center spoke on the phone and asked her if she had an emergency. Seems the dog was pawing at the woman's cell phone and dialed 911. The embarrassed woman apologized, and no charges were filed. KETV has a news report and the dog, Sophie, demonstrates her dialing talent. You can see the video here.

And don't worry. No animals were injured in the making of this video.


Marijuana Found In Car? Best Excuse Ever!

A man who was pulled over by the cops had perhaps the best explanation ever when the officer found marijuana in the vehicle.

"That's not mine," the driver said. "I just stole this car."

Yup. He stole it.

Police confirmed the car was stolen and Douglas Glidden was arrested for car theft...and possession. No word on whether he has a lawyer, but maybe he'll get a judge with a sense of humor. Read more at the Maine Public Broadcasting Network.

Mickey Rooney - Drive A Crooked Road

Mickey Rooney, age 93, has passed away. He made dozens of movies and started his film acting career at the tender age of six. His real name was Joseph Yule, Jr. and he was born in Brooklyn, New York.

He almost always played the good guy in his films, most of them comedies, romance, and coming of age pictures. But one movie he made as the bad guy stands out as a little known gem. It didn't get a lot of attention from the public, but won rave reviews from the critics...Drive a Crooked Road, a noir crime film made in 1953.

He made the movie during a period when he had fallen out of favor in Hollywood. It was an atypical role, but he played it with his usual gusto.

Rooney plays a race car driver named Eddie Shannon whose best days are behind him, and he now works as a garage mechanic. He falls for a beautiful girl, Barbara Walker (played by Diane Foster), who convinces him to drive the getaway car in a big bank robbery that will make them all rich. He reluctantly agrees, figuring he can get the money and the girl.

But the femme fatale's criminal boyfriend, Steve Norris, has other ideas. After they meet to divide the loot, they plan to split town leaving Eddie behind. When Eddie comes looking for Barbara, she tearfully spills the beans, forcing the gang to make the decision they've been hoping to avoid. One of the gang takes Eddie for a ride from which he won't be returning. But Eddie has no intention of falling for any more scams.

Incidentally, the role of Steve Norris was played by Kevin McCarthy, who would later star in the cult classic, Invasion of the Body Snatchers.

Drive A Crooked Road has some great twists and lots of suspense. You find yourself rooting for Eddie from the very beginning, which plays into Mickey Rooney's strength as an actor. It's unusual to see him in a role like this, and even if you're a fan of Rooney, you may have missed it. The music really evokes the theme of tragedy and loneliness that draws Eddie into the clutches of the woman and her gang. It's well worth looking for. You can check out the movie trailer on Youtube.



Mystery Weekend Roundup for April 6, 2014

What's In A Title? Ask Vicki Delany

Choosing a title for your novel is one of the most exciting tasks you'll face as a writer...and one of the most difficult. The right title can catch readers' attention and be a boost to sales. And the wrong title? Well, how many books would Fitzgerald have sold if he had chosen The High-Bouncing Lover as a title instead of his final choice, The Great Gatsby? John Steinbeck's Of Mice and Men was originally called Something That Happened. With that title, I don't think much would have happened.

If this doesn't convince you (and even if it does), check out the great blog post by Vicki Delany on Type M For Murder, where she discusses the importance of a good title. She must be doing something right with her choices. She's just published the 7th book in her Molly Smith series, Under Cold Stone. Great title! Of course, it probably helps that she's a damn fine writer.

For more classic titles that might have been called something else, clickety-click here.



Don't Talk About Your Characters. They Might Get Angry

Alice Mattison posted an article on the New York Times blog, Opinionator, in which she talks about writing her first novel. One of the things she discovered, which all writers I think eventually discover, is that her characters aren't just words on paper. As she puts it, "If I talk about the book, I believe — I cannot help believing — my characters will be angry, and will no longer confide in me about their embarrassing, troubled lives."

If you're thinking that maybe Ms. Mattison is typing with less than a full keyboard and that this is a little creepy, well, you may not be a writer. But read the article. She really understands the process. I know. One of my own characters told me so.


Famous Authors Who Were Rejected

Do you still think only newbies (and you) are still collecting rejection slips? Far from it. All writers, including the great ones, got their share. Take a gander at some of these priceless mistakes made by various editors.

"There certainly isn't enough genuine talent for us to take notice."  - On Sylvia Plath.

"We are not interested in science fiction which deals with negative utopias. They do not sell."  - Given to Stephen King for his first novel, Carrie.

"The girl doesn't, it seems to me, have a special perception or feeling which would lift that book above the 'curiosity' level." - For The Diary of Ann Frank.

See the whole list on this page. And keep writing.

By the way, thanks to Chad Hanson for creating this great list!


James Bond Auction Update

A couple of weeks ago, I alerted readers that a rare first edition of Casino Royale, the first Bond novel, was being auctioned. At the time, the bidding was up to $10,000 dollars. Raymond Benson, who wrote six novels in the Bond series, and who penned the Edgar nominated definitive guide to the famous spy, The James Bond Bedside Companion, said he thought that was a bargain.

Turns out he was right. The bidding has ended and the final bid was a cool $32,500 dollars!

Writers Born Today - Robert Bloch

It's the 100th anniversary of the birth of Robert Bloch, born April 5, 1917 in Chicago.  He wrote over two dozen novels and hundreds of stories for print and the screen. He sold his first story to Weird Tales when he was only 17 years old. It was the beginning of a flourishing career.

Because jobs were hard to find during the depression, he continued to write. As he put it, “So I had this problem -- work or starve. So I thought I'd combine the two and decided to become a writer.”

He was part of the Lovecraft circle, an influential group of horror and sci-fi writers whose members included August Derleth, Clark Ashton Smith, Robert E. Howard, and of course, H. P. Lovecraft. Many of these members went on to create works of science fiction and horror that are considered classics in their genres.

Bloch was numerous awards during his long career, including the Hugo, World Fantasy, Bram Stoker and a special Edgar scroll for his novel Psycho. It is this novel for which most readers remember him, and the one that Alfred Hitchcock turned into the classic film of the same name. The creation of Norman Bates and his dual personality provided readers and filmgoers one of the most shocking examples of criminal deviancy in modern fiction.

"I discovered, much to my surprise - and particularly if I was writing in the first person – that I could become a psychopath quite easily. I could think like one and I could devise a manner of unfortunate occurrences. So I probably gave up a flourishing, lucrative career as a mass murderer."                       
                 (Robert Bloch in Faces of Fear by Douglas E. Winter, 1990)

After selling his book to Alfred Hitchcock, Bloch wrote for Hollywood and television. His credits include Thriller, Night Gallery, Star Trek, and Alfred Hitchcock Presents. Psycho was not his only novel featuring a psychopath. In 1947 he published his first novel, The Scarf, about a writer who murders women after using them in his fiction. (Think about that the next time a writer offers to use you as a character in their book).

He died in 1977. For more on his career, click here. And for a bibliography, here.


“Despite my ghoulish reputation, I really have the heart of a small boy. I keep it in a jar on my desk.”  

- Robert Bloch

Mystery Weekend Roundup for March 30, 2014

Hank Phillippi Ryan Interviews Rosemary Harris

New England Sisters in Crime has a great interview of Rosemary Harris on their website as part of their Writers At Work series. Rosemary Harris is the author of five novels, including Pushing Up Daises, which was nominated for the Agatha and Anthony awards. Hank Phillippi Ryan is an investigative reporter and award winning writer of several thrillers, including The Wrong Girl.

Rosemary shares with us some great writing techniques that help her put words on paper. 


Spring Is Here! Bring On The Books

The Rap Sheet put up a schedule of new crime novels being released over the next two months, including works by Hilary Davidson and Benjamin Black. You can see the list here, and read what J. Kingston Pierce has to say about some of his favorites at his Kirkus column, Spring Breakouts. 


Come in From The Cold...Ice Cold, That Is

The Mystery Writers of America has a launch party for their new short story anthology, Ice Cold coming out in April. The event is hosted by The Mysterious Bookshop in New York City on April 29th. Celebrate with tales of mystery and intrigue from the Cold War. Get more info at the facebook event page here. The collection is edited by best selling authors Jeffrey Deaver and Raymond Benson. Further updates will be released on a "need to know" basis. And that's all the information you need to know.


How One Determined Man Made A Difference (Or Shall We Say, A Definition)

Steve Parks proved that one man can make a difference when his lobbying efforts paid off after more than 10 years. He convinced Merriam-Webster to add the term "Yooper" to its dictionary. Yooper, as anyone should know, is a term used to describe a resident of the upper peninsula of Michigan, a population known for "being resilient, looking out for your neighbors, and working hard." Read more about this victory for readers everywhere at the Wall Street Journal.

Mystery Weekend Roundup for March 23, 2014

Talking Crime with Declan Burke and William Ryan

 Mystery Tribune has a great interview with two of Ireland's best crime writers, which you can read here. They discuss their work and the influence that music has on the creative process, as well as the conflicts created when trying to write and raise a family. This quote from Declan rings true for me, when he states, "I always used to listen to music when I was writing, usually a collection of songs I’d identified as being close to the sound or feel of what I was trying to achieve."

When I write, I try to listen to a song that reflect the mood of my story. How about you? What's on the headset when your fingers are striking the keyboard? Right now, I'm listening to She's Not There by The Zombies.


Want Music?  Listen To Some Crime Jazz!

If you do listen to music while you write, then you'll want to check out this offering from the Retro Cocktail Hour, compliments of the host Darrell Brogdon. Click on the link here, then select the March 15th show to sample some familiar and not so familiar crime jazz music. The perfect way to stimulate those creative juices.


Do You Hear Voices In Your Head? Well, Let Them Out!

Writers listen to their characters, or at least the better ones do. Karen Dionne, who has written several thrillers, including Freezing Point, is one of those writers. She's been described as "the new Michael Crichton", and she has an article in the Huffington Post where she discusses the voices in our heads, and how we deal with them to create our stories.

In my first novel, In The Dismal Swamp, I had a minor character suddenly demand a larger role in the story. What did I do? I complied, of course, and she emerged as a driving force behind one of the suspects. I liked her so much, I've decided to put her in a sequel. I only hope she doesn't demand a cut of my royalties.


Writing Contest

Sharpen those pens. A short story mystery writing competition is open at Hofstra Law until May 1, 2014. Alafair Burke, Lee Child and Marcia Clark are the judges. First prize is $500 and online publication and promotion by Mulholland Books. The second and third prizes ($200 and $100 clams) ain't too shabby neither. Click here for the details.

There's just one catch...yeah, there's always a catch.

The story must feature a lawyer as a main character. And seeing as this is a crime fiction contest, I can't think of a better reason to include a lawyer.


Girl Scout Book Stand Vandalized

A free standing library set up by a local girl scout troop has been vandalized. The Girl Scouts are going to rebuild the library, but they need donations. If you can spare a book or two, send them to the Girl Scouts main headquarters at 4300 E Broadway Blvd, Tucson Arizona 85711. You can read more about this heinous crime at KVOA News in Tucson.


Want A First Edition of the First James Bond Novel? The Bidding Starts Here!

If you're a James Bond fan, you'll want to join in on the bidding for a first edition of Casino Royale, by Ian Fleming. The book is in great shape, and would make a great gift fir the Bond lover in your circle. Click here to join the bidding. You can bid until April 2nd. The current bid? Only 13,000 dollars.

But that includes the dust jacket. Good luck, and hope you win.

Mystery Weekend Roundup for March 16, 2014

Celebrate St Patrick's Day with Some Irish Crime Fiction

St Patrick's Day is upon us, but before you head out for the parades, dig into a meal of ham, potatoes and cabbage, or down another Guinness, I'd like to talk to you. You're missing out on some of the best things Ireland has to offer. I'm not talking about the beer, or the whiskey, or even the vastly improved food.

I'm talkin' about the crime fiction!

 It's booming, and you're missing out if you haven't read Brian McGilloway, Tana French, Declan Hughes, and Jane Casey, among others. This is the Golden Age of Irish Crime Fiction, according to an article in the Irish Times. And although the Irish have a reputation for exaggeration, this claim is dead to rights.

Some of the fiction focuses on the difficult history under British occupation, but many new writers spotlight "The Troubles", as they're called in Ireland and also the recent economic recession that struck hard among the working class.

"Crime fiction has taken off in Ireland over the past few years with a number of our best writers winning awards and making an impact on the international scene," says Brian McGilloway. Check out his list of the 10 Best Modern Irish Crime Novels, featured in The Guardian.

Mystery Readers International Magazine devoted an entire issue to Irish Crime Fiction in the 21st Century.

And Declan Burke, who writes one of the best blogs around on Irish Crime Fiction, featured his own list of favorites on his Saint Patrick's Day Massacre post. By the way, he's no slacker when it comes to story telling. According to Brian McGilloway, Burke's novel The Big O  "recalls Elmore Leonard at his best".

Want more suggestions? Check out Amazon's top 100 Irish Crime Fiction list right here.

And crack on some fierce Irish crime fiction, lest someone think you're an eejit.