Guest Post

HAVE A BOOK TO PROMOTE? Lyrical Pens welcomes guest posts. Answer a questionnaire or create your own post. FYI, up front: This site is a definite PG-13. For details, contact cjpetterson@gmail.com cj

Sunday, April 30, 2023

Mystery Writers of America announce

 cj Sez: The Mystery Writers of America announced their Edgar Award winners. Congratulations to all !!! 


From their press release:

BEST NOVEL
Notes on an Execution by Danya Kukafka (HarperCollins – William Morrow)

BEST FIRST NOVEL BY AN AMERICAN AUTHORDon’t Know Tough by Eli Cranor (Soho Press – Soho Crime)

BEST PAPERBACK ORIGINAL
Or Else by Joe Hart (Amazon Publishing – Thomas & Mercer)

BEST FACT CRIME
Tell Me Everything: The Story of a Private Investigation by Erika Krouse (Flatiron Books)

BEST CRITICAL/BIOGRAPHICAL
The Life of Crime: Detecting the History of Mysteries and Their Creators by Martin Edwards (HarperCollins – Collins Crime Club)

BEST SHORT STORY
“Red Flag,” Alfred Hitchcock Mystery Magazine by Gregory Fallis (Dell Magazines)

BEST JUVENILE
Aggie Morton Mystery Queen: The Seaside Corpse by Marthe Jocelyn (Penguin Random House Canada – Tundra Books)

BEST YOUNG ADULT
The Red Palace by June Hur (Macmillan Children’s Books – Feiwel & Friends)

BEST TELEVISION EPISODE TELEPLAY
“Episode 1” – Magpie Murders, Written by Anthony Horowitz (Masterpiece/PBS) 

  “The Edgar Awards, or “Edgars,” as they are commonly known, are named after MWA’s patron saint Edgar Allan Poe and are presented to authors of distinguished work in various categories.”

§§

  Re the technical disaster I was plagued with last week (both the computer and printer decided to quit) which prevented the Lyrical Pens post, I can now claim success. A new printer, three desktop computers (two were dead on arrival), and a two-hour visit from Geek Squad later has me up and running…I hope for a very long time.  

 
  I have to say, honestly, I was kind of grateful I didn’t have a computer available to me so I could play solitaire for hours on end (I’m guilty). I really did spend the last week slowly reading the 26 tributes to classic novels, short stories, and poems in the CLASSICS PIECES RETOLD anthology. 

  What a treat. 

  This anthology is one of the Mobile Writers Guild best productions. I found the variety of author voices awesome and heartily recommend the pieces to you.

  You can order your own copies through The Haunted Book Shop https://www.thehauntedbookshopmobile.com/contact-us , a Mobile indie bookshop, or from your favorite book seller.
  
  For Amazon purchases, click here: Buy CLASSIC PIECES Now

§§
 
  That’s it for today’s post. You-all guys keep on keeping on, and I’ll try to do the same. Raising prayers for your health and safety.

cj

  No inflation here: THE DAWGSTAR and DEATH ON THE YAMPA, fast-paced, exciting suspense/thriller ebooks, are low-, low-priced at $2.99.

P.S.  The Haunted Book Shop has signed copies of my books in stock. TO ORDER, contact The Haunted Bookshop here: https://www.thehauntedbookshopmobile.com/contact-us  

➜ Follow me on . . .  
➜ Amazon:    Amazon Central Author Page
➜ Goodreads: https://bit.ly/3fcN3h6

Sunday, April 16, 2023

Classic Pieces paperback arrived

cj Sez: Hope your weekend was as good as mine. I received my contributor copies of CLASSIC PIECES RETOLD. and the cover is even more gorgeous in my hands.

  This is no wimpy book. It’s a substantial paperback—one inch thick! I plan to spend a good bit of time slowly reading the 26 tributes to classic novels, short stories, and poems in this anthology. I want the excitement and enjoyment of reading 21st century interpretations of a variety of classic stories to linger on a while.

  You can order copies now from The Haunted Book Shop https://www.thehauntedbookshopmobile.com/contact-us or from your favorite book seller.

  For Amazon purchases, click here: Buy CLASSIC PIECES Now

   CLASSIC PIECES RETOLD is the sixth installment in the Mobile Writers Guild Pieces anthology series. Special thanks to our awesome MWG editor Joyce Scarbrough and to MWG artist Steven Moore who created all the incredible Pieces covers. 

6-Set image by Carrie Dalby Author

  Seems to me this is an opportunity to order the complete set.

§§
 
  Mother Nature was a’blowing and a’going this afternoon on Alabama’s Gulf Coast. I have yet to see the official report, but from the water I see standing in my yard, I think the electrical storm dropped probably more than two inches of rain. We also had 30-40 mph winds, gusting in some places up to 70 mph. I probably have some limbs down in the back yard, but I haven’t gone out to check. Besides, the Chief Meteorologist forecasts another wave of storms coming in after midnight. I’ll assess the yard tomorrow when I go out to feed the birds.

  Which reminds me . . .  photographer son Jeff was able to photograph a few migratory birds at Dauphin Island before the storm roared through. Can’t wait to see what he got. The photo here is one of his shots from last year: A Canada Warbler.

§§
 
  That’s it for today’s post. You-all guys keep on keeping on, and I’ll try to do the same. Raising prayers for your health and safety. 

cj

  No inflation here: THE DAWGSTAR and DEATH ON THE YAMPA, fast-paced, exciting suspense/thriller ebooks, are low-, low-priced at $2.99.

P.S.  The Haunted Book Shop has signed copies of my books in stock. TO ORDER, contact The Haunted Bookshop here: https://www.thehauntedbookshopmobile.com/contact-us 

➜ Follow me on . . .  
➜ Amazon:    Amazon Central Author Page
➜ Goodreads: https://bit.ly/3fcN3h6

 

Wednesday, April 12, 2023

180+ authors submitted to Bouchercon anthology

cj Sez: Bouchercon announced the names of the authors and their stories selected to be included in their 2023 anthology. 


  According to Bouchercon’s press release, “More than 180 authors submitted stories. In a two-step blind judging process, first-round readers passed along 41 stories to guest editor Holly West for final consideration. These seventeen stories were selected:”  

(I've enjoyed stories by some of these authors and am looking forward to reading the rest. How many do you know? )

Kathleen L. Asay, "Buy the Farm"
Jennifer Berg, "A Bayside Murder"
C.W. Blackwell, "Hard Rain on Beach Street"
Wesley Browne, "29 Palms"
Anne-Marie Campbell, "Palms Up"
L.H. Dillman, "To Hell and Back"
John M. Floyd, "Plymouth West"
Kim Keeline, "Business of Death"
Mary Keenan, "The Canadians"
Emilya Naymark, "Girl of Gold"
Richie Narvaez, "Shamu, World's Greatest Detective"
Kathy A. Norris, "Wildfire"
J.R. Sanders, "Dead Even"
James Thorpe, "Casualties of War"
Tim P. Walker, "Bidding War"
Victoria Weisfeld, "Pearl of a Girl"
Désirée Zamorano, "President-Elect"

  These stories will be published alongside short fiction by three of this year's Bouchercon Guests of Honor—C.J. Box, Ann Cleeves, and Naomi Hirahara.

  Bouchercon is an annual convention of mystery readers, fans, writers, and enthusiasts. In 2023, the event will be held in San Diego, CA. August 30 - September 3.

§§

Speaking of awesome anthologies

  The sixth installment of the Mobile Writers Guild PIECES anthology series is available for pre-order, and a date for an author signing is scheduled!

  CLASSIC PIECES RETOLD

  In this installment of the PIECES anthology series, Mobile Writers Guild members pay homage to some favorite classic works now in the public domain—novels, short stories, and poems. (I have retold two Agatha Christie short mysteries.)

     And, And … Mark your calendars! Multiple authors will be signing their stories at The Haunted Book Shop during Mobile’s April 14 LoDa Art Walk.

  Not able to be there on April 14 but would like signed copies? 

  Pre-order copies now from The Haunted Book Shop https://www.thehauntedbookshopmobile.com/contact-us and request they have them signed on April 14.

For Amazon purchases, click here: Buy CLASSIC PIECES Now
§§

  That’s it for today’s post. You-all guys keep on keeping on, and I’ll try to do the same. Raising prayers for your health and safety.

cj

  No inflation here: THE DAWGSTAR and DEATH ON THE YAMPA, fast-paced, exciting suspense/thriller ebooks, are low-, low-priced at $2.99.

P.S.  The Haunted Book Shop has signed copies of my books in stock. TO ORDER, contact The Haunted Bookshop here: https://www.thehauntedbookshopmobile.com/contact-us 

➜ Follow me on . . .  
➜ Amazon:    Amazon Central Author Page
➜ Goodreads: https://bit.ly/3fcN3h6


Sunday, April 9, 2023

Celebrating

cj Sez: 
JESUS CELEBRATED PASSOVER WITH HIS DISCIPLES, AND NOW CHRISTIANS CELEBRATE EASTER WITH HIM


 

Wishing you the Gift of Faith

The Blessings of Hope

And a Life filled with Love . . .

 




And for those celebrating Passover…

חג פסח

 



SHALOM

שלום

 cj Sez:  May God continue to shower you with blessings, love, and peace throughout the coming year.

Sunday, April 2, 2023

She loved reading mystery series, so . . .

cj Sez: We have a guest today! Author Kathleen Kaska is the author of a lighthearted, humorous mystery seriesThe Sydney Lockhart Mystery Seriesset in the early 1950s.


  One of the interesting twists of the Sydney Lockhart Mystery Series is that each book is set in a different historic hotel. The 6th mystery, Murder at the Pontchartrain, will be released this summer.  

Kathleen graciously agreed to share her answers to some broad-ranging questions about her path to writing mysteries. Welcome, welcome to Lyrical Pens, Kathleen.
 
When did you realize you first wanted to write? And what or who inspired you to write a series? 
  I didn’t develop a passion for writing until my late thirties. Once I got my teaching career off the ground and had some spare time, I spent it reading. The more I read, the more I realized I wanted to write, so I joined the Austin Writer’s League, now the Writer’s League of Texas. I took creative writing classes, and I joined a critique group. My first three books were nonfiction mystery trivia books about Agatha Christie, Alfred Hitchcock, and Sherlock Holmes.

  When I started writing fiction, I planned to write a series because I love reading mystery series. Getting to know the characters is like making new friends.

What do you find to be the most difficult thing about writing a series? 
  Keeping the material fresh. Sydney gets into a lot of trouble, and I have to be creative in staging new situations for her. I also have to add the right amount of background information in case someone reads the books out of order.

Have you ever indie published?
  My books are traditionally published, but I published a short story several years on Amazon. Right now, I’m writing a children’s book with my grand-niece, and once that is completed, I will publish it on Amazon also. I’m having fun with this because it’s something my niece and I can do together. She is six years old and is so talented.

   I also wanted to learn the process of self-publishing because I coach many new writers who’ve chosen the indie route, so I needed to be informed. 

Where/when do you do most of your writing?
 While teaching full-time, I wrote in the morning before school, but my writing schedule changed once I retired. Now I write when the mood hits me.

   I write either at my desk or propped up in bed with my laptop. 


You’re stranded on a deserted island. Besides food and water, what are your three must-haves?
 
  My husband is first on the list. Not only does he make me laugh, I really like the guy. Am I allowed an entire library? If so, that is second on the list. How about a fully stocked wine cellar? 

Is silence golden when you write, or do you like some accompaniment…music, a TV program, some kind of white noise? 
  When I’m writing at home, I need silence. Sometimes, I listen to music, but only to drown out any noise from outside. Fortunately, my husband is quiet, and we don’t have a TV, so if you walked into our house, it would take a few minutes to realize that someone was even home.
 
  When I need a change of scenery, I go to a coffee shop, and oddly enough, the background noise there doesn’t bother me.
 
Characters are usually composites of real and imagined people. How much of your plots and characters are drawn from real life—from your life in particular?
  All my characters come from my imagination. I tried designing or conjuring up characters, but it didn’t work. The same with plots. I’m a pantser. The plot develops as I write, and that’s what makes writing fun. For me, it’s like reading a book; I don’t know what will happen on the next page.

Real settings or fictional towns? Country or city? Ocean or mountains?

The historic Hotel Pontchartrain

  My Sydney Lockhart mysteries are set in real historic hotels, which I have visited often. So the setting is real. I do a lot of research to find out what happened in each location during the early 1950s to get a feel for how it was back then. Then, I weave some historical facts into the story. Here are two examples; in the first book, Murder at the Arlington (Arlington Hotel in Hot Springs, Arkansas), Al Capone used to have his own room at the hotel, so gangsters played an important role in that book. In Murder at the Galvez, which takes place on Galveston Island, I used an actual controversy surrounding the development of Pelican Island, a small nearby island. I put my own spin on the issue and used it as a possible motive for the murder.
 

What’s the quirkiest quirk one of your characters has?
  My character, Ruth Echland, is Sydney’s wealthy, spoiled, annoying cousin. She always gets people’s names wrong and uses the wrong word. For example, in Murder at the Menger, instead of saying “bubonic plague,” she said “bluebonnet plague.” She never admits she is wrong and occasionally does it intentionally just to aggravate Sydney. She likes to play the bubble-headed blonde, but she’s really sharp. I’ll share an excerpt from Murder at the Pontchartrain. Ruth has just arrived at the hotel:

Ruth held up the hotel’s brochure, kicked off her heels, and crawled into my bed. “It says Tennessee Williams wrote A Streetcar Named Desire while staying here.”
“Yeah, I heard that.”
“I wonder which room he stayed in.”
“The concierge could probably tell you.”
“Why would any playwright name a streetcar Desire as part of the title?”
“Go see the play.”
“He could have named it Streetcar Named New Orleans or Streetcar Named Louisiana.”
“Ruth! He named it Desire after the street in New Orleans named Desire.”
“Why would anyone name a street Desire? What’s wrong with Oak Street or Elm Street, or Main Street?”
“I can’t answer that, Ruth. But you must admit that the title A Streetcar Named Main doesn’t have the same ring. It’s flat. Something named Desire has a sultry, maybe passionate or erotic feel.”
“Hmmm, now that I think about it, why would anyone name a child Tennessee?”
“I don’t know. Maybe he was born in Tennessee.”
“Thank goodness he wasn’t born in Massachusetts.”
 
Tell us about Murder at the Pontchartrain  . . . where you got the idea and how you came up with the hotel and the title. (Coming up with a title is a real challenge for me.)
  Book number five, Murder at the Menger, occurs in San Antonio and New Orleans. I added New Orleans as a location because the story involves horseracing, and in the 50s, Texas didn’t allow horseracing. While researching the book in New Orleans, I fell in love with the city and its culture. I looked at a few historic hotels there and decided on the Pontchartrain for book number six. I love its history and atmosphere; it just seemed to fit.

Any last thoughts? 
  My husband and I love to travel and always look for historic hotels in which to stay. I have two criteria for selecting hotels for my books: they had to operate in the early 50s and are still in operation today. I’m always on the lookout for these inspirational gems, so if your readers have any suggestions for a future hotel I can use, I’d love to hear them. (cj Sez: You heard her, folks: Send in those suggestions. Maybe you’ll be the inspiration for her next book.) 

  Kathleen Kaska is the author of the awarding-winning mystery series: the
Sydney Lockhart Mystery Series set in the 1950s and the Kate Caraway Animal-Rights Mystery Series. Her first two Lockhart mysteries, Murder at the Arlington and Murder at the Luther, were selected as bonus books for the Pulpwood Queen Book Group, the country’s largest book group. She also writes mystery trivia, including The Sherlock Holmes Quiz Book. Her Holmes short story, “The Adventure at Old Basingstoke,” appears in Sherlock Holmes of Baking Street. She founded The Dogs in the Nighttime, the Sherlock Holmes Society of Anacortes, Washington, a scion of The Baker Street Irregulars.

  Visit her website to read her humorous blog, “Growing Up Catholic in a Small Texas Town,” because sometimes you just have to laugh.

  Kathleen is the owner of Metaphor Writing Coach. She coaches new and emerging writers and helps them discover their unique voices, and guides them as they learn the craft of writing and the art of storytelling. Kathleen also edits manuscripts and advises writers on how to look for the right publisher.

Contact Kathleen at:

Murder at the Pontchartrain
is available for pre-sale from the publisher and will be available at your favorite bookstore, Amazon, Barnes & Noble, and Bookshop.org.   (Pontchartrain pre-sale link click here.)

And here's a bonus...Kathleen’s protagonist, Sydney Lockhart, is leaving some intriguing clues and invites you into the book: 

“I had good intentions. I always do. 
My boyfriend/partner, Ralph Dixon, and I eloped—again—with the plan to tie the knot in New Orleans. Instead, Dixon’s sitting in jail for a double murder. I’m sitting in a Louisiana swamp, spying on the Ku Klux Klan with Rip Thigbee, a ghost detective. My bubble-headed cousin Ruth is interrogating the hotel’s chef. My twelve-year-old charge, Lydia LaBeau, dressed as a voodoo queen, is entertaining the locals at Pat O’Brien’s.
These are just some of the people I hang out with. They’re all slightly unhinged and extremely odd.
I’m Sydney Lockhart. I solve murders. Most of which I’m the primary suspect.
So mix yourself a Hurricane and join me in the Big Easy for another historic hotel murder case.”

§§ 

  cj Sez:   Thank you, Kathleen (and Sydney). We really appreciate your sharing these behind-the-scene tidbits. Lyrical Pens wishes you best-selling author sales and rave reviews for Murder at the Pontchartrain . . . and all of the stories in your series.

  That’s it for today’s post. You-all guys keep on keeping on, and I’ll try to do the same. Raising prayers for your health and safety.

cj

 The Haunted Book Shop has signed copies of my books in stock. TO ORDER, contact The Haunted Bookshop here: https://www.thehauntedbookshopmobile.com/contact-us 

Follow me on . . .  
Amazon:    Amazon Central Author Page
Goodreads: https://bit.ly/3fcN3h6