Notes on Why We Write...Or Don't Write

In Lessons from a Lifetime of Writing, David Morrell tells the story of how he became drawn to fiction writing, his determination, his trials and errors, and his successes. The part of the story I like best is about a novel Morrell began when he was only twenty-five years old. He still lacked confidence in his abilities, so even after completing several drafts of a tale about a Vietnam veteran, Morrell gave up on the novel with little hope he'd ever make it as a fiction writer. He shoved the manuscript into a drawer "and began a much more sensible project: my dissertation on the contemporary American writer John Barth."

When the dissertation was finished, Morrell had free time before moving to the University of Iowa to begin his teaching job. He found that abandoned manuscript, decided it wasn't nearly as bad as he'd thought, finished it, and sent it to an agent. Months later, the manuscript sold. That was First Blood, the first book in the Rambo series.

Morrell, after years of experience and many published books, advises writers not to chase trends or try to second guess the market. He goes on to say, "The only reason to write a story is that it grabs you and won't let you go until you put it on paper."

Blythe Camenson and Marshall J. Cook quote agent Peter Rubie in Give 'Em What They Want, "I think the best a writer can ever do is do what he wants to do, as best as he can do it. Be true to yourself and everything else will follow."

And Julia Cameron, in her book Walking in This World: the Practical Art of Creativity, tells this story:

"Today my mail contained a manila envelope from a friend, a born storyteller who spent years wanting to write and not writing. Last June, on a perfectly ordinary day, Larry did an extraordinary thing for him: He picked up a pen and started writing. I now have a fat sheaf of stories in my hand. All he needed to do was begin. And then begin again the next day."

The concept isn't hard to grasp. All of the ones who do it keep telling those who don't: Write. Just sit down and write. If you lack confidence, as did David Morrell when he was young, write anyway. If the market seems to favor biological disaster thrillers, and you want to write a gentle love story that begins in the shelter of a covered bridge, write your love story anyway.

And if you desperately want to be a fiction writer, but you spend much of your free time watching television, pick up the remote, turn off the TV, pick up a pen, and start writing.

Lethargy Strikes Again

Last evening I was trying to come up with a post topic for today, and all I really wanted to do was go take another nap. After two nights in a row of disturbed sleep (the first caused by restless brain syndrome and the second due to a fierce midnight thunderstorm that left my nerves jangled for hours), I wasn't on top of my game.

Friend Carolyn had tried to walk me through some Photoshop tools to help prep a new banner for my blog and website, but sluggish brain cells sabotaged that effort for the day. After a trip to the grocery store, I went home, ate lunch, called my mom, and went to bed. I slept for an hour before another storm rolled in and woke me up again. The hubby, meanwhile, was feeling fit as a fiddle, happily storm-watching and playing computer games.

I dragged myself downstairs to read and comment on a few blogs (downstairs because my laptop is so much faster than my desktop and right then I needed fast). Slumped over the keyboard, typing away, I wondered if any of my comments made sense. It was obvious it was only going to get worse. If I didn't get today's blog written before I stopped to eat and watch the news, the blog post probably wouldn't happen until mid-day Thursday. And that's why you're getting another rambling glimpse into my (non)writing life.

There should be a picture inserted here showing me at my worst in my sweats, big blue shirt, and slippers (not a pretty sight), but the hubby took off to play bridge before I thought of it. It's probably best.

I'll be back tomorrow with something writerly and bookish.

What If...?

The power was off on Monday morning when I first hopped out of bed. I thought for a minute. No power means no coffee unless I fire up the grill and ruin my teakettle over an open flame. I went back to bed. Didn't go back to sleep though. Kept thinking, what if . . . ? What if . . . ?

What if the power was off all day? I would have roughly two hours of time on my laptop. Wireless router probably wouldn't be working. I'd have to get out, go to a coffee shop. Hubby would have to unhook the electric garage door, because I don't know how, and I think it takes muscle. Not that I don't have muscles--I just don't like using them on hard stuff.

But then, what if the power was off all over town for some bizarre reason? Streetlights out, no power at the coffee shops.

Groceries. What if I didn't have enough groceries? What if this was a real emergency? What if . . . what if the power grids crashed all across the country?

Things in the house started beeping. The carbon monoxide detector in the hall beeps when the power goes out and it switches to battery. Not just once--it beeps once every twenty or thirty seconds. Something in my husband's computer/radio room beeps continuously. Then the radon detector jumped in. When it's deprived of power it beeps four times every thirty minutes or so.

It was pretty obvious I wasn't going back to sleep, even though hubby slept right through it all. I got up, unplugged the carbon monoxide detector, stuck it in the computer room with the other beeping contraptions, and shut the door. Well, except for the radon thingie which I accidentally (really!) forgot and left in the bedroom with hubby. Didn't matter. He still slept through it.

By then, I was curious and was thinking of dozens of horrible scenarios that would cause a massive power failure that would test Americans' ability to survive. (This, by the way, is a common problem among writers who tend to have very active imaginations.) I started downstairs to turn on one of the battery-powered radios to see what was going on.

And then the power came on. Thank goodness. I went directly to the coffee pot and hit the On button. I never found out why the power was off. I never asked. But now I have a bunch of ideas for thriller novels, and I have a list of things I need to buy . . . just in case.

My Out of Control Book Habit

I went book crazy this week, even while I was still reading a book I checked out of the library. I'm out of control. After too many months of working on other projects, withdrawal set in. I had to start reading for fun again. It's not as if I didn't have enough unread books in the house. It's just...bookstores call to me...it's a siren's song.

The two books I just finished:

Three Weeks to Say Good-Bye by C. J. Box
Lords of Corruption by Kyle Mills

The one I'm reading now:

Pretty Is As Pretty Dies by Elizabeth Spann Craig

And the other new purchases:

The Complete Idiot's Guide to Preserving Food by Karen K. Brees, Ph.D.
Freezer Burn by Gayle Carline
The Doomsday Key by James Rawlins
The Scarlet Letter by Nathaniel Hawthorne
My Antonia by Willa Cather
The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society by Mary Ann Shaffer and Annie Barrows
The Apostle by Brad Thor
The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo by Stieg Larsson
The Call of the World by Trent Newcomer
Vibes by Amy Kathleen Ryan
The Call of the Wild and White Fang by Jack London
Living With Your Kids is Murder by Mike Befeler

See what I mean? Out of control. And there are still a few books by new friends that are on my list for future buys. If this keeps up, I'll have to request a bailout for reckless book buying.

Colorado Author -- Barbara Fleming

Northern Colorado historian and author, Barbara Fleming, will soon see her first historical novel in print. Journeying is the story of Hannah Morris and her soon-to-be husband, a bi-racial physician, who head for California with a wagon train but are forced to change their plans. They settle for homesteading on the Colorado prairie.

Hannah is running from the marriage her stepfather has arranged for her, and both are fleeing the ongoing racial tensions of post Civil War Ohio. Although the story is full of danger, tension, and heartache, it is gently told with an emphasis on Hannah's growth from headstrong, inexperienced girl to a woman capable of facing adversity with courage and strength.

I asked Barbara to tell me how long she's been writing fiction, and whether she has other manuscripts in the works:

"I started writing fiction about 20 years ago, when were were living in Denver. I joined the Denver Woman's Press Club, found a critique group, and started working on a novel that grew out of my experiences as a print journalist."

Barbara said that novel is still waiting for her revision. In the meantime, she had a couple of short stories published, and wrote Journeying, to be released in hardcover by Five Star on August 31, 2009.

"With the help of my critique group and my writing partner, I am working on a novel based on what happened when a relative of mine went to meet the father she never knew."

More known for her local history works, including Fort Collins: A Pictorial History and the recently published Fort Collins: The Miller Photographs, written with Malcolm McNeill, Barbara has other novels in the works as well. I was fortunate to have the opportunity to read an advance review copy of Journeying, and I look forward to reading more Barbara Fleming fiction.

When You Can't Write, Maybe There's a Good Reason

On a personal note, thanks to everyone who dropped by my blog yesterday. It was great fun having so many visitors, the most visitors I've had in one day since I started this blog on April 17th. Procrastination, or the inability to sit down and write, speaks to a lot of writers.

For those who have not been writing and aren't really sure why, let me tell you how I stopped spinning my wheels this week and finally got back to work.

For some time, I've been unable to write the next chapter of my book, just absolutely could not sit down and do it. When my mind and body rebel like that, there's usually a good reason. I thought about it for days, then weeks. Finally I went back to my timeline, looked up airline, train, and bus schedules, and finally saw it. My timeline was screwed up. Something subconscious or unconscious had figured it out and was trying to let the rest of me know.

After thinking it over a little longer, I decided to pull the focus of the story back to one main character. I would cut the other viewpoint scenes and save them for another novel. I saved my WIP in a new file, so nothing would be lost. Then I chopped over 15,000 words from my manuscript. As soon as I hit the delete key, I felt lighter. I was energized. My enthusiasm for my novel is back. I'm writing again.

It wasn't writer's block. I don't believe in that anyway.It was being stuck--knowing something had gone wrong with the story, something so big it needed to be fixed before I continued. I don't usually edit as I go, so it had to be a serious flaw, one that would impact the rest of the novel. It was. It's gone now. So I'm going back to work. See you Monday. I'll be here (but don't call me because I'm unplugging that phone and moving it out of reach.)

Things Writers Can Do Instead of Writing

Using myself as an example, I thought I'd show you a few of the things writers might do to avoid writing.

1. Take your camera outside and photograph the weather. You saw my yellow flowers and my double rainbow pictures earlier this month, but here's a shot from last winter. It was early in the morning, the air was frosty, the snow fluffy, and the whole neighborhood was white.



If you like looking at nature photographs, visit The Coloradoan's Colorado photo contest entries for July. There are more great photos of the double rainbow.

2. Pull out your old picture albums, and scan and organize the best prints. I turned up this picture of me as a kid. That's kinda the way I look today when I discover a great new book to read. Some things never change.



3. Visit the family and entertain yourself by taking silly pictures of family members. This one is Birdee. She is very intelligent and has proven many times that she has a memory. Bird brain, indeed! She would be highly indignant if accused of being a bird. Oh, yeah, the guy in that picture is my brother. He's also very intelligent. Funny, too.



4. As a writer, you can always avoid writing by scheduling book signings and other promotional activities. Group signings are entertaining, especially if you can connect up with great authors such as Colorado's Mike Befeler (Living With Your Kids is Murder), Linda Berry (Death and the Crossed Wires), and Beth Groundwater (To Hell in a Handbasket).



5. If you've forced yourself to sit at the computer, you can switch to Solitaire or Minesweeper, or you can open your photo editing software and play around with graphics. On an earlier post I displayed a photo I took in Norway in 1998. Here's the altered version.



I know I'm not the only writer who procrastinates. It you write, what are some of your favorite way to avoid working on your current project?

Three Wyoming Mystery Authors

Since I just finished a good novel of suspense by C. J. Box (Three Weeks to Say Good-Bye), I thought I'd fill my readers in on the writings of C. J. and two more of my favorites who hide out north of the border (that's the Colorado/Wyoming border, of course).

Award winning author C. J. Box writes the Wyoming game warden Joe Pickett series as well as the two recent standalone suspense novels, Blue Heaven and Three Weeks to Say Good-bye. The latest Joe Pickett novel, Below Zero, was released in June 2009.

Craig Johnson has created an excellent series starring Wyoming Sheriff Walt Longmire. The latest book, The Dark Horse, was published in May 2009.

Cindy Keen Reynders writes the Lexie Lightfoot mysteries set in Moose Creek Junction, Wyoming. The Saucy Lucy Murders (2007) was followed by Paws-Itively Guilty (2008).

A scaled-down version of the Wyoming Book Festival will be held this year in Cheyenne on September 19th. These three authors and others will attend.

More Story Ideas -- Where to Find Them

The last time I dropped by a library used book sale, I bought one book. That is an amazing fact in itself, but that's not the point of today's post. I want to tell you about the book I did find: A Dictionary of Omens and Superstitions by Philippa Waring (Souvenir Press, Canada, 1978 and 1997). The book is further described as "The Best-selling Guide to the World of Premonitions."

The book is a dictionary of omens and superstitions about a variety of things, the things listed in alphabetical order throughout the book. There is no table of contents, and no index, and no footnotes, and no bibliography. In her introduction, however, the author cites a few classic sources for further study.

Today I'll crack open the book and see if I can find an interesting "fact" that might trigger a story idea. Here we go:

Cigars (Did I really open the book to that page first? Yes, I did.), p. 59: "The girls of that famous American 'witch town' of Salem in Massachusetts have a superstition that if you accidentally step on a cigar end then you will marry the first man you meet thereafter!" Hmmm. No story there.

Murder, p. 160: "...in Germany it is said that the spirits of those who have been murdered must wander about the earth for as long as the natural lives of the victims would have been had they not been murdered." Okay, that one has possibilities.

XYZ, p. 264): "It is said to be unlucky for any author to have the letters X, Y and Z in the last sentence of any book, for this is an omen that he will never write another." Guess we authors better watch out for that one. Check your last book as well as your current project.

With entries from axe to corpse to journey to rainbow, and lots of words in between, this type of book is ideal for those who don't know where to look for story ideas. Think how many more treasures like these live on the shelves of your local library.

Colorado Author -- Amy Kathleen Ryan

From time to time I'll branch out and include Colorado authors who write something other than mystery and suspense. Today I've chosen Amy Kathleen Ryan, author of Vibes, a Young Adult novel about a girl who can read minds. That's how she knows everyone in her high school thinks she's fat and disgusting, even Gusty, the popular boy she likes. If that wasn't enough, she's had to deal with her father moving out a couple of years earlier.

"Soon, a school project brings her together with Gusty, her father comes home and drops a bombshell, and a friend comes out of the closet, and suddenly she is left doubting that she can read people at all." .....From Amy's website

Released in October 2008 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, Vibes received excellent reviews from Publishers Weekly, Kirkus Reviews, Library Journal, and BookList. You can read the praise about this book at Barnes & Noble Online. This is Amy's second novel.

Amy Kathleen Ryan has an M.A. in English Literature and is active in program planning for Northern Colorado Writers. She does a wonderful job of keeping a low profile, so let's surprise her by suddenly growing her Twitter following. She is @AmyKathleenRyan.

Library Thing -- For Readers, Librarians, and Authors

Yesterday I created a presence on Library Thing, which calls itself the world's largest book club. Members are readers, authors, and librarians.

The first thing I did upon signing up was to create my profile. Here I entered the information I'd like to have other members know about me, including my website and blog urls. My Library Thing name is PatriciaStoltey. Readers may leave comments for me at the bottom of my Profile page, and these comments will be forwarded to my e-mail address.

From there I began to add some of the permanent books in my collection. This will be an ongoing task for a few weeks if I enter only a few at a time, but is a way to connect with other members who have similar tastes.

The additional networking opportunities through Library Thing are:

(1) A Local site where an author's appearances and events can be listed, favorite bookstores and libraries can be added, and readers may connect with other members in their community.

(2) Authors may establish their author identifies, have an author logo added to their profiles, and participate in Author Chats with members. I have applied for the author designation.

(3) As a member, you may join one of the many existing groups formed by topic or may start a new group. I took a quick look at the options, and am considering: Write-Readers, What Are You Reading Now?, and Crime/Thriller/Mystery.

(4) A talk room where you can read and respond to posted threads.

(5) You can post reviews for books you've read, and you can also sign up to be an Early Reviewer of upcoming releases. In this program, you enter a lottery for the advance copies you want to read, and the lucky winners get to read and review (for free). I checked out the July list and was wishing I had the time to sign up for this program.

The basic membership, which allows you to catalog up to 200 books, is free. For a small fee, there are other benefits, including an option for authors to give away books and promotional materials (such as bookmarks) according to Library Thing rules. As I use this site, I suspect I'll find more opportunities. I'll keep you posted. For a more information about Library Thing, visit the Press Information page.

The Humane Award Goes To...

Yesterday I received an unexpected honor. Helen Ginger included my blog (in some outstanding company, by the way) when she passed on the Humane Award she'd earned the day before for her own blog, Straight from Hel. Thank you, Helen.

What is the Humane Award, you ask? Here's the scoop:

The Humane Award is to honor certain bloggers that I feel are kindhearted individuals. They regularly take part in my blog and always leave the sweetest comments. If it wasn't for them, my site would just be an ordinary blog. Their blogs are also amazing and are tastefully done on a regular basis. I thank them and look forward to our growing friendships through the blog world.

I think that's pretty cool. And in the spirit of the kindhearted blogger and sweet comment writer I am (did I hear someone giggling?), I would like to pass this honor on to a few of my faithful visitors well known for their delightful and fun blog posts and their entertaining comments (while not repeating any of the great bloggers already honored by Helen).

Galen Kindley at Imagineering Fiction

Karen K. Brees at The Practical Preserver

Alexis Grant at Aspiring Author

Terry Odell at Terry's Place

Linda Faulkner at Author's Exchange Blog

I'm hoping to count these authors and bloggers among my virtual friends for a long time. And thanks for thinking of me, Helen.

Mystery Author: Marshall Karp

Did you know Marshall Karp has at least one contest going on his website? If you're the lucky winner of this one, you'll have a character named after you in a future Marshall Karp book. Now how cool is that?

If you don't know how cool it is, you probably haven't been introduced to Karp's LAPD Detectives, Mike Lomax and Terry Biggs. I was hooked after the first book in the series, The Rabbit Factory. In addition to a fine plot revolving around the fictitious theme park, Lamaar's Familyland, Karp's first book was filled with excellent characters and plenty of wise-cracking humor. The title refers to the first victim in a serious effort to bring a company to its knees, the employee dressed up as Rambunctious Rabbit.

Karp's second Lomax & Biggs mystery, Bloodthirsty, is about the Hollywood set, and the third (released March 2009), Flipping Out, is about a bestselling mystery novelist and her unique promo plan that turns ugly. Flipping Out, which I read earlier this month, has good plot twists as the death of a cop's wife goes from suspected domestic violence, to suspected serial killer, and on to . . . well, that would be spoiling the story. Mystery writers should get a kick out of this novel. It's a great tutorial in thinking outside the box for self-promotion (and a solid lesson about unintended consequences).

I'm going to put the link to Marshall Karp's homepage here, but go there at your own risk. The author's sometimes irreverent blog appears on this page.

Sometimes We Just Need Yellow Flowers

I can't think of too many things that cheer me up in the same way yellow flowers do. I think it has something to do with the rambling, yellow roses on our farm that used to bloom around my birthday each year when I was a kid. It always seemed as though they bloomed just for me.




A friend gave me three daylilies last year. I'm not good with daylilies, but this one proved hardy enough to tolerate its lack of attention.









Hedge roses are also tough enough to survive in their corner of my neglected garden. These keep blooming, in spite of me.






What does this have to do with writing? Blogging authors ask that a lot, don't they. Well, frankly, this post doesn't have much to do with anything except yellow flowers. I hope you like them.

New and Upcoming Releases from Colorado Mystery Authors

While I trip away from our Colorado authors to read Three Weeks to Say Good-Bye by Wyoming author C. J. Box, I'll at least let you know what some of our better known Colorado authors are doing:

Many mystery readers are fans of Diane Mott Davidson's series featuring Colorado caterer Goldy Schulz. Her newest release is Fatally Flaky, April 2009. For recipe hounds, these mysteries have recipes in the back.

Northern Colorado's Maggie Sefton has a new book out in the Kelly Flynn knitting mystery series. Dropped Dead Stitch was released in June, 2009, and was a Barnes & Noble #4 bestselling hardcover mystery.

Margaret Coel is known for her series set on the Arapahoe Wind River Reservation in Wyoming. Her main characters, Arapahoe attorney Vicky Holden and Jesuit priest John O'Malley, are emotionally involved but fight to keep their friendship in check even as they work together to solve the well-researched mysteries. Coel's September 2009 release, The Silent Spirit, is available now for pre-ordering. Her blog, Writer's Bloc, is at: http://www.margaretcoel.blogspot.com/

Northern Colorado writer of horror and now mystery Tom Piccirilli has a new book due out in October, 2009. I don't know what this one is about yet, but it does have a cool cover. Check it out at online booksellers. Shadow Season is available now for pre-order. Tom's entertaining but often irreverant blog is The Cold Spot: The Writing Underworld of Tom Piccirilli.

This is merely a sample. I'll have more for you soon. Believe it or not, I just purchased another Colorado author's vampire story (I think these creepy things are growing on me). Mario Acevedo's first Felix Gomez mystery, The Nymphos of Rocky Flats, is now queued up in my To Be Read stack (which grew way too much over the weekend).

More Organization Promo Opportunities for Authors

An organization to add to yesterday's Mystery/Suspense/Thriller category (thanks to Alan Orloff) is International Thriller Writers. Members are able to add profiles, photos, website urls, and other information to The Big Thrill website. I'm not currently a member of ITW, but have been thinking about joining (especially since my current project is more thriller than mystery).

I also neglected to mention the many regional and local chapters of Mystery Writers of America and Sisters in Crime. Here, for instance, is Sisters in Crime Chicago. Although SinC does not sponsor blatant self-promotion on their websites, they do announce author news and appearances, and many post author bios for their members.

To hop away from the mystery world now, general writing organizations (not genre-specific) often provide multiple ways for an author to "get the word out." Northern Colorado Writers includes all genres of writers, as well as editors, publicists, journalists, etc. The NCW website displays a short bio, as well as an expanded member profile. This organization sponsors a writers' conference in the spring, which is where I gave my "Let's Write a Mystery" workshop.

Colorado has more. In the Denver area (but including members from all over Colorado and nearby states) Rocky Mountain Fiction Writers offers special programs, an excellent newsletter, and September's Colorado Gold conference and its associated writing contest. The Friday night book room event gives all attending authors a chance to chat about, sell, and sign their books. On the RMFW website, authors may add information to the Published Authors section and to the Member News page.

Pikes Peak Writers is centered in the Colorado Springs area. Although I'm not a member and can't speak to all of its advantages, it's another good example of an organization that sponsors a highly-recommended annual conference (and writing contest) and offers its members ways to promote their works.

There are writers' organizations of this type in most states (even others in Colorado I haven't mentioned). Why would you want join one of these groups? I think they're important for networking and making new friends; finding conferences, workshops, programs, and critique groups close to home; and enjoying the promotional options given members in newsletters and on websites.

Do you have an excellent writers' organization in your state that you'd care to recommend?

Organizations for Mystery Writers

I've been making a list of the organization websites I need to visit to update my book release information or add new blog posts. These organizations I've joined might be helpful to writers looking for additional ways to promote their own books. Today's post is especially for mystery writers.

Mystery Writers of America has the most extensive opportunity for regular members, offering an online author's page with bio, book covers, book synopses, and individual blogs. Sisters in Crime lists books in print for published authors. And our regional Sisters in Crime organization is gradually expanding the information listed for its published authors. These are the sites I'll be updating over the next week.

Mystery Writers of America and Author's Page

Rocky Mountain Mystery Writers of America (author news and links to websites -- no author page)

Sisters in Crime Authors/Books (in alphabetical order--no author page)

Sisters in Crime -- Rocky Mountain Chapter (authors' page and interview)

I have not yet established a presence on any of the mystery reader sites. Has anyone else tried them out? Do you think they're useful?

So What Do I Think of Twitter Now?

I jumped into the Twitter frenzy around the middle of April and three days later wrote Seven Things I Learned About Twitter in the First Three Days. Granted, my experience was limited, but there were some things I figured out pretty fast. The biggest thing: anyone prone to communication addiction should stay away.

Being a glutton for punishment, however, I persevered, promising to let everyone know if Twitter helps build blog traffic. The answer is yes. Since I don't tweet about every single blog post, and I can see the number of visits to my blog each day, I can tell that even two tweets a day about that day's post will bring more visitors.

A side note: On the days I also post a notice to any of the Yahoo! Groups I belong to (six at the moment, plus one mystery lovers' list), the number of visits shoots way up.

Here are the other things I like about Twitter:

1. The people I follow tweet links to excellent articles or blog posts that I never would have found on my own.

2. I can follow breaking news and local weather warnings before that information is available on television or radio.

3. Some of my favorite bloggers tweet when they post, which saves me looking up the list from my own blog.

4. I've found a few public figures to follow. I choose the ones who are funny, who seem to tell the truth (although who can really know), and who tweet useful information. I don't think I follow any movie stars, although I understand Elizabeth Taylor is in Twitter World now.

5. I have the option of unfollowing and/or blocking folks who spew venom, spend all their time selling things I don't want to buy, or tweet so often I can't find messages from anyone else.

6. The mind tidbits (tweets) fascinate me. It's like people-watching. Only different. The kind of things writers do to get story ideas.

7. I'll give you a couple of interesting Twitter people to follow if you want to smile: @GayleGresham @wordsbybob. For good information: @problogger @Twitter_Tips. And, of course, me @PStoltey. I try to provide a little of both.

Can you add to my Twitter "smile" list, or to the "information" list?

Sometimes We Just Need a Rainbow

My husband called me away from my computer this weekend--shouted really--to come outside.

Now, I'm no dummy. I usually holler back, "Why?" This time, however, I had a feeling what he wanted. It had just rained. The sun was out. It had to be rainbow. I hopped up and ran outside. Took one look and went inside for the camera.


So what does that have to do with writing? There's a connection. I wanted some lovely quotes about rainbows to add to this blog, so I looked up the Broadway show, Finian's Rainbow, and I consulted my trusty Bartlett's Familiar Quotations. And I found the most amazing thing (amazing because I didn't already know it). The lyricist for Finian's Rainbow, Edgar Yipsel Harburg, who wrote the song Look to the Rainbow for the play, also wrote the lyrics for Over the Rainbow from the Wizard of Oz. As a matter of fact, Harburg wrote most of the dialogue for Wizard, and wrote the all of Finian's Rainbow as well.

Is that not the coolest piece of trivia you've ever heard? I'm so grateful this man liked rainbows. Harburg, who's real name was Isidore Hochberg, was a socialist and eventually fell victim to the Hollywood blacklists of the fifties. He's gone, of course, but his musical rainbows live on.

Colorado Author -- Linda Berry

Somewhere along the line, someone commented on my blog that Colorado must be awash in published authors. It might be true. I need to start reading faster so I can speak with authority about each writer's books.

Today I am featuring Linda Berry, author of the Trudy Roundtree mystery series. In the newest release, Death and the Crossed Wires, pastor Josh Easterling is electrocuted as he's about to baptize Crys Cleary. But the investigation shows it was no accident. Further investigation reveals that other deaths connected to Crys weren't accidents, either. Trudy, an Ogeechee, Georgia, police officer, and Chief of Police Henry Huckabee track down the unlikely serial killer in this small-town, police procedural series noted for its Southern humor.

Previous books in the series were Death and the Easter Bunny, Death and the Hubcap, Death and the Icebox, Death and the Walking Stick, and Death and the Family Tree.

Since Linda's roots are in Georgia, it's no surprise that her stories are set there. And she has a cousin who's a policeman and, she says on her website, a great storyteller. What more could a mystery writer ask for?

I've been lucky enough to share a book signing table with Linda a couple of times, and to enjoy her author trivia game at writer gatherings (although I did not win either time). Her Southern accent, wry sense of humor, and incredible energy make her an excellent presenter. If you like your mysteries set in the south and sprinkled with humor, you might want to give this series a try.

Setting for The Desert Hedge Murders

Although the second Sylvia and Willie mystery begins in Laughlin, Nevada, much of the adventure takes place in and around the gold-mining town of Oatman, Arizona. Oatman is located more than a dozen miles east of Bullhead City, in the northwest corner of Arizona, across the Colorado River from Laughlin.

Not much, if any, gold mining takes place these days. Most of the traffic to and through Oatman consists of tourists and historic Route 66 motorcycle enthusiasts. The town is full of shops, artists, and good eats, ranging from buffalo burgers to ice cream. It is said at least one ghost hangs out at the Oatman Hotel.

Burros, descendants of those that once toted miners' gear from camps to claims, roam the streets and beg carrots from visitors and townfolk.

The scenery is striking, especially when seen from a quiet place where only the wind and the cheeping of baby quail disturb the silence.

Critique Groups -- Raintree Writers

Because my blog posts on critique groups will appear on The Blood-Red Pencil blog today and tomorrow, I thought I'd talk about the group I've belonged to since early 2004.

Toward the end of 2003, local author Brian Kaufman taught a novel-writing class for all ages at our Senior Center. At the end of the class, several of us formed a critique group in an effort to stay motivated and to improve our writing skills. We named our group Raintree Writers, because the center where we first met was located on Raintree Drive.

Although we've had a couple of members come and go since the beginning, we're now a solid group of six mixed-genre writers, most writing novels. Our newest member is Brian Kaufman, who taught the original class. Author of The Breach and The Apocalypse Parable, Brian is currently writing textbooks, which we don't have to read, as well as a horror novel that he's submitting to our group for critique.

April Joitel finished her first novel, Bobbing for Watermelons, and was a finalist in the women's fiction category at the 2008 Rocky Mountain Fiction Writers Colorado Gold Conference. She is now working on a full-length creative nonfiction book. Melissa Pattison's genre of choice is horror. Beth Marquart is writing historical fiction set during World War II. Carolyn Yalin is working on a mainstream novel set in Canada. A former member, Sidna Rachid, previously completed The Concrete Affair, which won the Pike's Peak Writer's Conference competition in 2007 in the mystery category. And there's me, author of the Sylvia and Willie mystery series.

The group currently meets every other week. We generally follow the submission and critiquing procedures I outline in The Blood-Red Pencil posts. I'm glad I didn't have to go through the writing and revising process alone. I hope all of you who are writers belong to, or soon find, a supportive and serious group like Raintree Writers.

Books on Fiction Writing by Chris Roerden

I'll probably mention well-known editor Chris Roerden every few months, just in case someone forgets, or new readers come aboard. Her two books on fiction-writing techniques are comprehensive tools for writing and self-editing. Chris will give a workshop during the SinC Into Great Writing program in Indianapolis on October 14th, the day before Bouchercon 2009 begins.

The first book, Don't Murder Your Mystery: 24 Fiction-Writing Techniques to Save Your Manuscript From Turning Up . . . D.O.A., was an Agatha Award Winner for Best Non-Fiction Book. Published in 2006 by Bella Rosa Books, DMYM soon created a buzz among mystery writers. Chris includes examples from published authors as she explains what can go wrong between a manuscript and a "screener-outer" that causes the manuscript to earn a rejection letter.

The second book is an expanded version of the first and includes excerpts from all genres to reinforce her stated techniques. Don't Sabotage Your Submission: Save Your Manuscript From Turning Up D.O.A. was released in 2008, and many authors (including me) have both versions of the book on their shelves.

You would be doing your local writer friends a great favor if you asked your library to order a copy of at least one of these books. And you'd be doing yourself a favor to read one of them (if you haven't done so already).