The Thirty-First Issue

 

                                            Rocktober!

That’s the way to kick off the month. Things have been busy here in the Mitten, with a two-day event, a writer’s workshop and my first appearance as a guest at a book club.

Details you ask?

Just keep reading.

 

Writing

 

          “Goes to show you never can tell.” That’s a great line from a song by Chuck Berry, the father of rock and roll. It even shows up in “The Wayward Path” during an exchange Chene has with another character.  The same line popped into my head earlier this month.

          I was participating in the final outdoor festival for the season. My booth was set.  David Kobb, co-author of scary tales for kids had his display ready. My table set up, complete with Crime Scene tape. It was a perfect fall day.  While there wasn’t as large of a crowd as we’ve seen at other events, there was a steady flow of people.

        

          Sales were slow, until a guy stopped by and started checking out all of my books. Then he pulled out his credit card, nodded and said, “All of them. I’m camping and love to read.”

          That’s the second time this summer someone has bought all seven of my books.  That’s when I referred to Chuck’s line.

          Twice during the weekend I sold copies of “Devious” and the young lady buying the book was named Jamie.  Two women at the booth beside me bought copies of “Why 319?” then proceeded to sit in the sunshine and read the book while the event was going on.

          Last Monday was the second writer’s workshop at the local library. I’ve been recruited to facilitate the meeting. Ten authors were in attendance. We had some excellent conversation on a few writing related topics. Six people read excerpts from their current projects and received feedback from the group. The reactions were all very positive.

          And then, last Thursday, I was invited to a book club meeting. One of the group had suggested “The Wayward Path” as the selection for the month. I joined them to answer their questions.  We talked about Detroit, mobsters, cops, dialogue, humor and even Chene’s interactions with Simone, his lady fair.

          A finishing touch here. I stopped at the library yesterday and out of curiosity, checked the shelf for local authors.  Normally I’ll see a few copies of my books on hand. Not this time. Only “Vanishing Act” was there. The rest have all been checked out.  That’s confirmation that people are reading my stories.  Gotta love that!

Work in Progress

 

          With feedback from my beta readers in hand, I cleaned up the manuscript for "Chasing Favors” the fourth novel in the Jamie Richmond series on the last Thursday in September.   A quick note was attached and sent to Melissa at Inkspell Publishing.  Since I’d contacted her a few weeks before, she knew it was coming.

          What I wasn’t expecting was her message the next day. Less than 24 hours later, not only had she read the story, but Melissa was accepting it!  The contract was attached. 

As Jamie would say “What the hell!”

Sure, there are some authors whose work is accepted that quickly. Or they may have a contract for a certain number of books in a series. But this is unusual for me. One day later and we’re moving forward!

The publication will probably take place in July. There is still editing to be done (of course!) and artwork for the cover. That time will go quickly, as it often does. Yet knowing the book has been accepted is quite a thrill. Jamie is obviously delighted.

Meanwhile, I’m getting started on my next effort. This one is going to be a little different. Instead of a mystery, this may be more of a crime novel.  Ideas for the plot are already brewing. I’ve written about 2,000 words to get it started.

 

Author Interview

The wonders of technology make it easy to reach across the miles and make a connection.  Over the years I’ve developed such contacts with people in Australia, Taiwan, Italy and various parts of the US and Canada.  One such connection is with the very talented M.S. Spencer.

We share a love of a good mystery, engaging characters and realistic adventures. We’ve traded emails on a variety of subjects during the course of our friendship.  I’ve read several of her novels and enjoyed each one. She’s been in my corner with the Chene series and I think she’s become fascinated with Leo Agonasti.

Let’s get to know her.

 

Where are you from? 
Oh gee, that’s a toughie. I was born in upstate NY, but left for sunnier climes (Maryland) after 6 months. After that we moved some 22 times before I went off to college and proceeded to move another maybe 15 times until I settled in Florida some 8 years ago. My goal was to move before I had to wash the windows, which usually meant every 2 years. I lived in various cities in the US, Europe, and the Middle East. I did spend a big chunk in the DC metro area—part of my childhood in a tiny Victorian town in a large Victorian house, and then after marriage in a Sears farmhouse that still had a well in the basement.

What’s your ‘someday’ or dream vacation spot and why?
It’s a tossup between the Galapagos Islands and Florence.

What’s your favorite thing to do for relaxation?
A good dinner and a stimulating conversation.

Any favorite hobbies?
Not anymore. I used to do needlepoint. I took it up so as to be doing something productive while my mother-in-law droned on and on about the price of green beans. Possibly the dullest human being I’ve ever known. However, while maintaining the polite mask on my face, I made Christmas stockings for every member of the family, plus so many eyeglass cases that she begged me to stop.

How long have you been writing?
I’ve been writing since my chubby baby fingers could hold a piece of chalk. I wrote stories and poems from elementary school on. A friend sent me a poem that we published in my middle school newspaper. In a word? Sappy. My first novel was released in 2009. Before that speeches and statements I’d written for different US Senators and Dept. of the Interior officials were published. I’m probably best known for an article on the Ethiopian national epic published in the Vth Journal of International Ethiopian Studies (6 weeks on the bestseller list)(jk). Sadly, out of print now 😊

Is there a particular genre that you write?  Or more than one?  What led you there?
I started out writing spicy romantic suspense—so spicy that to this day my adult children refuse to read my books. The spice gradually disappeared—I knew I was done when my draft was sprinkled with /sex scene here/ instead of the actual sex. In its place dead bodies began to crop up. After awhile I took the hint and moved on to murder mystery. My favorite part is sneaking in obscure clues and inserting red herrings into the story.

What authors had an impact on you growing up and as an adult?

I loved the Oz books (I collect them) and E. Nesbit, P. L. Travers (Mary Poppins), and the Dr. Doolittle books. From early on I read anything and everything, particularly the classics (I figured, they were classics for a reason). My favorites were English writers—Austen (mistress of perfect prose), Hardy, Waugh, Iris Murdoch, but I also loved Thomas Mann and Dostoyevsky. Later I read the great British mystery writers (Christie, Marsh, Sayers, Allingham) and they colored my current writing. Nowadays I enjoy thrillers (Rollins, Baldacci) and eschew modern angst fiction as trite, boring, inauthentic, and unhelpful.
Has anyone in your life influenced you or encouraged you to pursue your interests of writing?

Not really. It was more or less a personal ambition. Maybe spurred on when my husband threw away my first manuscript (by accident).

Is there a common theme or item that appears in each of your work?  
Each of my 15 books is a stand-alone story, with its own set of characters. The settings vary, although they generally occur in either Maine or Florida. I try, with minimal success, to have some character mention or go to Paris at least once per book.

Do you have a favorite scene you’ve written? What makes it special? 

I love the funny bits involving secondary characters. In Mrs. Spinney’s Secret there’s a scene in which two brothers—both actors—attempt to spar. A lot of bluster and very little actual hands-on fighting. Imagine George Clooney and Steve Martin. Then there are the Miss Marples in The Mason’s Mark. Andromeda Miller Bliss and Letitia Canfield are equally sharp and sophisticated and yet you can’t imagine either without a set of pearls and a pillbox hat.

Tell us about your latest work:

I have a romantic suspense novel awaiting my editor’s imprimature entitled The Wishing Tree: Love, Lies, & Spies on Chincoteague Island. My latest publication is Hidden Gem: the Secret of St. Augustine. (It is currently a finalist at Florida Writers Association Royal Palm Literary Awards.) Here’s the story:

Barnaby and Philo’s story begins with very bad chili and a dead body.

Barnaby is in St. Augustine, Florida, to teach a college seminar, and plans to use The Secret—a treasure hunt book—as a framework for his class. He enlists Philo Brice, owner of an antique map store, to aid him in seeking clues in the historic sites of the ancient city.

Together they face murderers, thieves, thugs, and fanatics, heightening their already strong attraction to each other. Can they solve the puzzle and unearth the treasure before the villains do? Philo and Barnaby pursue several twisting paths and false leads before arriving at a startling conclusion.

 

Excerpt: The Black Raven

Across Avenida Menendez lay the city marina. At the end of one of the floating docks a ship was ablaze with red and green lights. Philo tugged Barnaby’s sleeve. “That’s the Black Raven. Let’s go have a dekko.”

They walked carefully down the dock, compensating for the slight sway caused by the incoming tide. Just as they reached the ship, the lights winked out, leaving the marina in darkness except for the feeble glow of the gibbous moon. Next to the galleon, tied up stern in, was the Queen Anne’s Revenge. “That’s Blackbeard’s flagship.”

“So, do the pirates board the Black Raven and have their way with the wenches?”

“The only wenches on board are pirates too—Lady Red and Georgia Fury—and they aren’t exactly attractive.”

“You mean, no man in his right mind would rip their bodices?”

“Something like that.”

“Darn. I hope there’s at least a mock skirmish.”

Philo tried to remember what the young man had told her. “I’ve never actually gone on the treasure voyage, but—”

“Treasure? Fantastic! Now who did I assign this to?” He snapped his fingers. “Lincoln, that’s it. They have a cocktail cruise, which seemed to attract his notice.”

She looked over the ship. “How do you suppose they have a proper swordfight if everyone’s drunk?”

“ ‘Any damn fool can navigate the world sober. It takes a really good sailor to do it drunk.’ Sir Francis Chichester.”

“Anyway.” Why do I even attempt to have a normal conversation? “Blackbeard arrives on the Queen Anne’s Revenge and boards the Black Raven. He steals their treasure chest and makes off with it. The captain orders the crew—which consists of a couple of college kids on summer break and the paying passengers—to chase him and retrieve it. Which they do.”

“And what happens to the redoubtable Blackbeard?”

“I think they make him walk the plank. Or…” She stopped to think. Behind her came a splash. She whirled around. “What was that?”

“It came from the port side.” Barnaby walked past the ship’s stern and peered into the water. “Probably just a fish jumping.”

“It sounded awfully big.”

“A big fish then.”

Philo scanned the deck. “Someone’s up there. I saw a shadow against the moon.” She yelled, “Hi there!”

There was no answer, but they heard a bang and another crash. Barnaby ran around to the starboard side. Philo caught up with him. He stood, facing the darkness. “Nothing.”

They waited for a few minutes, but all was still. Finally Philo said, “Must be a crew member preparing for tomorrow.”

“Okay. Come on.”

As he took her hand, she pulled back. “There it is again!”

“What?”

“The shadow.”

Before Barnaby could respond, a whistling noise rent the air. A large iron ball attached to a thick rope came swishing down from the mast and crashed at their feet. The entire dock vibrated. Barnaby jumped to one side, but he must have slipped on the decking, for he fell, landing hard. As Philo reached for him, he slid off the slick surface and into the dark water. “Barnaby!”

He surfaced, spluttering. “What the hell?”

“Are you okay?” Philo paced the dock trying to see him in the faint light. She knocked into something. “Barnaby! I found a ladder!”

“Where?”

“Follow the sound of my voice.”

He let out a bark of laughter. “Yes, my Puck. ‘And we fairies, that do run / By the triple Hecate’s team, / From the presence of the sun, / Following darkness like a dream.’ ” He swam to the side and climbed out. “God, that water’s freezing.”

Philo wrapped her arms around him. “Let’s get out of here.”

“No, wait. I want to know who just tried to kill us.” He took a step toward the ship but suddenly bent down and picked something up.

At that moment a light flashed in their faces, blinding them. “You there. What do you think you’re doing?”

Here are the links where you can find the book.

Goodreads

Bookbub

Books2Read

Amazon

Barnes & Noble

ITunes

Rakuten/KOBO

GooglePlay

Indigo

Angus&Robertson

Social Media Links:

Blog: https://msspencertalespinner.blogspot.com

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/msspencermysteries

Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/msspencerauthor

GoodReads: http://www.goodreads.com/msspencer
Pinterest: http://pinterest.com/msspencerauthor/

Bookbub: https://www.bookbub.com/profile/m-s-spencer

MeWe: https://mewe.com/i/msspencer1

Amazon Author Page:

http://www.amazon.com/M.S.-Spencer/e/B002ZOEUC8/

 

Music

          I can’t work in silence. Music is part of life, so it’s always playing, except when I’m teaching. I’ll jump from Pandora to Spotify to YouTube for some variety. 

          Recently Prince has been popping up in the rotation on all of these sites and the radio.  More than six years after his death, his music remains popular.

          Prince was a singer, songwriter, musician and record producer. His flamboyant style and wide vocal range helped him cross genres, mixing funk, rock, rhythm and blues, soul, pop and jazz.  During his career, he captured multiple awards, including an Oscar for an original song, multiple Grammys and a Golden Globe. His album sales have topped more than 120 million worldwide.

          Prince was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and The Rhythm and Blues Hall of Fame. 

Here are my top five favorites.

Kiss: https://youtu.be/H9tEvfIsDyo

Let’s Go Crazy: https://youtu.be/svqYueRzAh0

Raspberry Beret: https://youtu.be/l7vRSu_wsNc

Little Red Corvette: https://youtu.be/v0KpfrJE4zw

Purple Rain: https://youtu.be/TvnYmWpD_T8