Guest Blog About Phoenix Plus Giveaway

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To introduce Show Me the Gold to potential readers and give a bonus to the regular ones, I wrote “A Day in the Life of Phoenix Smith” for Dru’s Book Musings (http://drusbookmusing.com). If you leave a comment on my blog by January 11, 2015, you may win a free copy of the book. Here’s how the story of a typical day for Phoenix begins.   Achilles licked my hand to remind me to get up and take him on our morning run. I sat up before my hyperactive Belgian Malinois could lick my face.  “Sorry I overslept, boy. My souvenir … Continue reading →

Reviewers Value Books’ Characters

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Yesterday two reviewers gave me an early Christmas gift, appreciation of the people who inhabit Show Me the Gold, the newly released third volume of my mystery series. In Living on the Page: Personal Journal of Author Sandra Parshall, the Agatha winner wrote, “The plot has enough twists, turns, and blind alleys to keep readers turning pages, but the greatest strength of Carolyn Mulford’s writing is her gift for creating likable characters with the kinds of flaws that make us all human. … Highly recommended for readers who love character-driven stories with realistic small town settings.” If you need a … Continue reading →

Glimpses of Chile

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For decades I traveled Peace Corps style: riding buses and trains, staying at B&Bs and austere hotels, and buying most of my food in markets and small restaurants. Traveling on a low budget took extra time, planning, and effort, but it enabled me to experience life in unfamiliar countries somewhat as the natives did. Gone are the days. I’ve reconciled myself to touring with a group of curious, well-traveled retirees on two-week trips planned and directed by people who make sure hotels and restaurants meet high standards and know where to find a bathroom every two hours. In November I … Continue reading →

Library Journal and Gumshoe Like Show Me the Gold

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One of the most important reviews for any author comes from the Library Journal. With Show Me the Gold to be released December 17, I started searching for the review, only to discover it came out October 1, 2014. I’d missed two months of feeling good. The reviewer, librarian Viccy Kemp, put Phoenix Smith in the company of three of my favorite mystery protagonists: Marcia Muller’s Sharon McCone, Sue Grafton’s Kinsey Milhone, and J. A. Jance’s Joanna Brady. Those three writers pioneered in introducing intelligent, tough female investigators. Here’s the review: “Ex-spy Phoenix Smith and Sheriff Annalynn Keyser respond to … Continue reading →

“Aura of Death” Published in That Mysterious Woman

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Experience has taught Jessica to keep secret her ability to see character-revealing auras. When an inexplicable cloud over a murder victim’s grave leads her to a killer, her unusual perceptions pose a dilemma and place her in danger. I tell this tale in “An Aura of Death,” one of 27 short stories that appear in That Mysterious Woman, a new Shaker of Margaritas anthology published by Mozark Press in paperback and e-book editions (available on Amazon). Among the other writers are Paula Benson, E. B. Davis, Sharon Woods Hopkins, Edith Maxwell, Harriet Sackler, and Donna Volkenaant. The writers come from … Continue reading →

Kirkus Praises Show Me the Gold

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“Mulford confronts her troupe of reluctant crime solvers with plenty of action and a few surprises.” So ends Kirkus Reviews’ 300-word review of Show Me the Gold, the third mystery in my Show Me series. Five Star/Gale, Cengage releases the hardback and e-book editions December 17. As usual, Kirkus is the first pre-publication reviewer. The publisher sends paperback uncorrected proofs (often called advanced reader copies—ARCs) to national review publications three to four months before the release date. I send out copies to my own list, which consists mostly of bloggers and newsletters. Few newspapers today carry staff-written book reviews. The … Continue reading →

Show Me the Gold Giveaway on Goodreads

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Want a chance to win an advance copy of Show Me the Gold?  I’m offering five copies on Goodreads.com from now until November 29. If you’re not a member of this huge site for readers, you’ll have to join (pretty simple) before you can sign up for the giveaway. If you’re already a member, go to https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/22945313-show-me-the-gold. The third book in my series, Show Me the Gold will be released in hardback and e-book December 17. You can read chapter one and a summary on this site (go to Show Me Mysteries). —Carolyn Mulford

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What I Learned in the Peace Corps

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To take part in a panel on the Peace Corps Then and Now, I had to think about the lessons I learned during my two years teaching English in Ethiopia. In doing so, I realized that the experience affected not only my attitudes and interests but also the jobs I held in the years after that and the fiction I’m writing today. In September1962, the Peace Corps responded to Emperor Haile Selassie’s request for secondary teachers by sending in 275 volunteers. We doubled Ethiopia’s secondary faculty. I taught eleventh grade English at the only high school in the mountainous Wollo … Continue reading →

High Season for Sexual Assault on Campuses

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Fall is high season for rape on college campuses because new students haven’t yet learned their geographical and social way, but sexual violence and harassment last all year. Recent events have raised awareness of the severity of the problem locally and nationally, so my branch of the American Association of University Women scheduled the topic for its October program. I “volunteered” to moderate it, and I’m sharing my preparatory notes here. One in five women suffer rape in their lifetime. Almost 80% of those victims are raped before the age of 25, and 40% before the age of 18. Senator … Continue reading →

The Fun Starts Before the Writing Begins

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This is part of the September 2014 Sisters in Crime (SinC) Blog Hop. Authors answer one of several questions. I chose to write about what part of the writing process I enjoy most. The writing process breaks into three parts: coming up with the idea, writing the first draft, and revising until ready for readers. Each part of the process delights and frustrates me because each one stimulates a different part of my intellect and emotions. For plain old fun and excitement, though, nothing beats that first step of choosing a story’s building blocks—usually who, what, and where. Any of the three … Continue reading →

Harlequin Will Publish My First Mystery in Paperback

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Harlequin Worldwide Mystery has acquired the right to publish the mass market paperback edition of Show Me the Murder. The first book in my mysteries series, Murder came out in hardback in February 2013 and as an e-book in August 2013. Harlequin hasn’t set a release date, but the paperback probably will come out in mid or late 2015. The words will be the same, but the cover will be new. Harlequin Worldwide Mystery issues a number of paperback reprints each month, and many of those books are sold to subscribers to its club (http://www.book-club-offers.com/worldwide-mystery/). Why didn’t the original publisher … Continue reading →

Jumpstarting the Stalled Plot

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Like most authors, I spend a lot of time and energy on the opening chapters. That’s where we hook the reader with a mix of plot, character, setting, and tone. The opening presents the greatest writing challenge. It’s also offers the most fun. A lot of books founder after that sterling opening. For me, the trickiest part of a manuscript often comes when my protagonist, former CIA covert operative Phoenix Smith, starts gathering information and identifying suspects. She’s learning about the case, and research can slow the pace. If pages contain lots of dialogue and little action, the mystery reader … Continue reading →