What This Writer Did in 2013

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Making notes for my annual letter, I realized almost everything I did in 2013 involved my Show Me mystery series. The series—with four books in different stages—took over the year. In January I submitted the third book, Show Me the Gold, to the publisher. A day or two later the content editor emailed her comments on the second book, Show Me the Deadly Deer. Only minor points, but they took time and care. In warm weather that manuscript came back to me two more times, for a check of the copyediting and for proofing before it went to the printer. … Continue reading →

Show Me the Deadly Deer Released

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  The second book in the Show Me mystery series has been released in Kindle and hardcover editions. I’ve already received a reader’s comment on the Kindle edition (my cousin loved it), but the hardcover won’t reach stores and libraries for a few days. Show Me the Deadly Deer features the main characters introduced in Show Me the Murder. Former CIA covert operative Phoenix Smith tells the story, which begins when Acting Sheriff Annalynn Carr Keyser enlists Phoenix’s help in looking for a missing farmer. You can read a teaser summary and the first chapter on the Show Me the … Continue reading →

Interview: Judy Hogan Shares Her Writing Techniques

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Judy Hogan has led the writing life for fifty years. In October 2013 one publisher released her second mystery, Farm Fresh and Fatal, and another her fifth book of poetry, Beaver Soul. She also has written two nonfiction books, founded and served as editor of Carolina Wren Press (1976-1991), and continues to teach courses in writing fiction, poetry, and creative nonfiction (e.g., diary/memoir).Her mystery series reflects her deep roots in social activism and in North Carolina. The first book, Killer Frost (Mainly Murder Press, 2012), involves educational and financial fraud on a historically black college campus, a setting she knows … Continue reading →

Personal Experience Prompted My Historical Novel

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For many years I made my living as a nonfiction writer, striving to gather the essential facts and present material objectively. Then, after traveling around the world, I came home and marveled at how life in rural Missouri had changed. My generation was the last to grow up in a nation made up of small, diversified, family farms, the ones growing most of their own food (vegetables, fruit, and meat) and a variety of crops to feed their animals and to sell for what they couldn’t produce. I wanted to preserve the record of what life had been like in … Continue reading →

Workshop: Writing Your Past Into Fiction

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Our lives are part of the long continuum of human history, but how do you use your tiny fragment in a novel? At 10:30 a.m., Saturday, December 7, I’ll answer that question during a workshop in the Columbia (MO) Public Library. I’ll talk about how I drew on memory, others’ memories, library research, and imagination in writing The Feedsack Dress, an MG/YA novel set in northeast Missouri in 1949. Using short readings, I’ll illustrate such points as incorporating real life into your plot and c haracterizations. We draw on our experience no matter what we write. I’ll touch on how … Continue reading →

Interview Posted on Writers Who Kill

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The upcoming release of Show Me the Deadly Deer prompted E. B. Davis to interview me for a mystery writers’ group blog, Writers Who Kill.   Among the questions E. B. posed were the following. The law enforcement underestimates and undervalues two of your three main characters, which they use to their advantage. If this typical behavior? When it comes to the political arena, your characters show their acumen. Is politics different than law enforcement? Your use of internal dialogue reveals the duplicity and complexity of Phoenix’s life. How do you reveal without over justifying her actions? Do you think … Continue reading →

How JFK’s Assassination Affected Dessie, Ethiopia

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Friday night, November 22, 1963, Dessie, Ethiopia A group of us were chatting at the guys’ house after a tough week of teaching when my housemate, Peace Corps Volunteer Arwilda Bryant, ran in. Everyone shut up as she gasped for breath. Arwilda wouldn’t have come out alone late at night and risked attacks by hyenas or feral dogs without good reason. “Kennedy’s been shot,” she choked out. “I just heard it on the radio.” She told us all she knew: The President had been shot while riding in an open car in Dallas and taken to a hospital. We called … Continue reading →

Ten Common Mistakes New Mystery Writers Make

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All writers differ, but those writing their first (and maybe second or third) mystery usually make at least two or three of ten common mistakes. I base this list on what I’ve observed in reading other writers’ works in progress and what they’ve said about my manuscripts. The mistakes vary in the manuscript’s different sections: two to three opening chapters, twenty to thirty middle chapters, and three to five final chapters. The opening chapters The hardest and most important section to perfect is the opening. Most agents and editors tell us they won’t read beyond the third page (some not … Continue reading →

Kindle Edition of Show Me the Murder Released

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In February, Five Star released Show Me the Murder in hardback ($25.95). In September, the publisher released the Kindle edition ($3.19). Buyers save $22.76 on the electronic version! Plus part of a tree. The difference in price amazes me.  I’m tempted to buy the e-book myself. I prefer to read newspapers, magazines, and (especially) books on paper. When I went to China, I took a Kindle with a small library on it. The Kindle provided entertainment (and language training) on the endless airplane flights. At home I reach for paper first. I hope I’m never desperate enough for reading material … Continue reading →

Working with Beta Readers

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While writing a book and rewriting trouble spots, I rely on critique partners. When I finish the penultimate draft, I recruit people who read but don’t write mysteries. I give them the manuscript with ten questions and suggest they look at the questions before and after they read. Some answer all questions; some write comments on the manuscript; some write a book report. If possible, I take my beta readers to dinner to discuss the book.   The questions serve two purposes: They cover the general and a few specific things I need to know; They guide insecure readers and … Continue reading →

Tips for Assessing Your Own Manuscript

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Every writer turns into an editor at some point, but finding the weaknesses in your own manuscript challenges any writer. Years ago I developed a visual assessment system to help freelance writers evaluate short nonfiction work quickly and objectively. This week I’m serving on a panel at Killer Nashville called Be Your Own Editor. I’ve expanded my assessment system into the handout below to help novelists spot problems and begin solving them. 1. Riffle or scroll through your entire manuscript.      If pages look gray, expect poor paragraphing, long descriptions, info dumps. Watch for long sections with lots of dialogue or … Continue reading →

Schedule of Events: August-September 2013

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Putting Our Past into Fiction: Memory Is Not Enough 10 a.m., Friday, August 2 Columbia Senior Activity Center, 1121 Business Loop 70, Columbia Open to all Be Your Own Editor: Make Your Book the Best It Can Be panel; 2:10 p.m., Friday, August 23 Killer Nashville, Hutton House Hotel, Nashville Open to conference registrants Using Sidekicks and a Supporting Cast to Drive Plot and Reveal Character panel; 11:20 a.m., Sunday, August 25 Killer Nashville, Hutton House Hotel, Nashville Open to conference registrants Discussion of Show Me the Murder 3 p.m., Saturday, September 7 AAUW Book Group, West Broadway Hy-Vee, Columbia … Continue reading →