Setting as Character

The lovely thing about mysteries is they take you to lovely places, and more important, they give you a feeling for what it's like to live there. That's one of the charms about cozy mysteries. Whatever, I know that it's true for this anthropology-trained writer. I went all warm and fuzzy when I discovered Morag Joss's Bath-located mystery, Funeral Music, in a used book store. It's set in one of my favorite places: Bath, England.

Sara Selkirk, a world class cellist, is lucky enough to live in Bath. She's also unlucky enough to have lost her creative spark after her husband dies. On the night the a friend convinces her to play at a reception at the Pump Room, the museum director of the Roman Baths is murdered. Selkirk soon finds herself in the middle of the investigation not only because the detective investigating the crime is one of her cello students but she knows many of the suspects.

As she travels through the tangle of personalities, the city of Bath lurks in the background. You even get the feel for what it's like to shop at a British supermarket as well as taking an armchair visit to some major tourist attractions. The story line's also a nice journey because so many of the characters become red herrings. Joss' characterization skills transfers well to the suspects because the most likely, unsympathetic character isn't the perp. At the same time, the stealth suspect has a better motivation for the crime. -- I'd say more, but that'd be a spoiler.

Now that I've written this, I'm hoping I can find the posting spot again on the new Google+.
The links below are old, but still useful.

Busy?

Need some more excuses to social network? Cheryl Reif has posted a poll on "How Much Time Do You Spend Online".  The poll will make you think, but her summary of why you should spend time online plus her readers' comments are food for thought. 

Think social networking is just for your amusement? Don't have the confidence in your writing to think you don't need to social network yet. E. J. Wesley has some words for you on getting your game on.

And, then, there's your website.

You do have one, don't you? 

It's one of the keys to building your platform as an author.

As you might guess, I've been vaguely thinking about my website where the Far Isle Half-Elven roam. No revisions are going to happen to my website anytime soon. Too busy editing Dark Solstice for an agent. If you have your website up, you might check out Mark Lieberman's blog 10 Quick and Easy Upgrades You Should Make to Your Website Today.

Magic Systems and Urban Fantasy

Do you need an introduction to the world of urban fantasy?  Stumbled across a list of ten top writers/protagonists at Book Chick City.  Take a look at "Laura's Top 10 Fantasy Series". 

'Twas nice to see someone agree with me. I've read and enjoyed most of the series though I ofter despair. I don't think imitate their achievement. [Good thing I'm not ambitious.] Still, the important piece here -- if you like to play with the supernatural -- the list gives you some of the genre's template characters. Actually, I read much more urban fantasy than I review. A lot of it seems highly repetitive.

Who stars in your favorite urban fantasy series? 

Kalayna Price's Grave Dance isn't repetitive, even though it's second in the Grave Witch series, featuring Alex Craft. She takes some conventional forms of magic and the world of Fae, puts them in the mixer, and comes up with some unique twists on the templates. Price's twists on magic flows in logical patterns that're internally consistent. Quite an achievement that.

The plot twists and turns too. Price has Craft caring about four to six secondary characters, each and everyone of them fleshed out enough to make Craft take actions that no one in their right mind would do. If friends don't motivate her, then the monsters do. Price even gives an interesting take on monsters. Example: I've read many stories that use kelpies as a danger. Price manipulates the trope, and the kelpie, while still threatening, helps Craft achieve a goal.

Price has a way of shading menace into even relatively safe situations. The ability promises a long career ahead of her. Grave Dance is a keeper.

Writing Urban Fantasy -- Or Anything Else

You should check out E. J. Wesley's blog about getting lost in your writing. It's not only your characters who get befuddled as you write. If they aren't getting befuddled, you should double check. You might not be writing something intriguing or exciting.

Why Are You Reading That Book? Blog?

Have been trying to figure out why the writer, Yasmine Galenorn, keeps stacking up on my keeper-shelves. Recently finished another of her books -- Courting Darkness -- about the D'Artigo sisters. Story line centers on Camille's capture and torture by her dragon husband's father [who disapproves of his son's choice].  Heads Up: This book is darker than most of the previous books in the series.

I envy Galenorn's craft skills at keeping you reading. Camille isn't my favorite of the three sisters, but the book kept me reading past my bedtime until I finished it two days. Why? Galenorn keeps her characters hopping. Just when you think you've reached a minor resolution, she drops her character into another deep dilemma. 

One of the things I like best about the series is Galenorn's deft touch with humor. She doesn't write "funny-ha-ha", but keeps a light sarcastic touch that makes your lips twitch. Her sex scenes are good too. She moves on with the story line just before the scenes get repetitive and boring.  All in all, this book is a keeper.

I'm not the only one who's been thinking about keepers and might-read books. Michelle Rowen has been sorting through all the stuff she loaded into her Kindle last year. Her recent blog discusses: the Top 10 Ways to Get on My Keeper Shelf. While the list is as idiosyncratic as mine, her list is worth reading. Her list includes many of the same qualities I've noticed in many of the best sellers I read last year.

Suggestion: emphasize some of the characteristics she likes, and maybe, your current opus will be more salable. And no. I don't think that comment applies only to urban fantasy.

Then, if you're trying to make more time for writing, you might like to read E. J. Wesley's blog, The Open Vein,on why he reads the blogs he does. If you're making the effort to blog regularly, surely you'd be interested in knowing what people look for in a blog.

A Word of Encouragement:

Is your WIP having problems accumulating words? Kendra Turner gives writers some help coping with non-productivity in her blog: "Aim, Shoot, Bull's Eye: Targets for the New Year's". [Thanks to Margo Berenson for mentioning this on Twitter.]

Why Write?

Missed my Friday blog deadline because my life

-- and the stupid website -- 

kept getting in the way of my writing.  

I'm reading a good book, but only at two or three chapters a sit.  I gave up on the baking a couple days because  my hands and hip hurt.  I'm behind on my critiques.  I'm a good three days behind in my blog reading.  Who knows when I'll get my next critique submission revised.  The whole mess's enough to make me wonder why I even try to write.   

Then, last week, E. J. Wesley asked:   
How do you measure success?

The question has stuck with me since I read it ... maybe because I've finally sold a couple things.

I'll ask:  Why bother writing ... especially, if you collect nothing but rejections "letters"?

What makes the time writing worth while to you?

For me, there's a certain amount of arrogance in thinking I can keep a bunch of characters on the straight and narrow of the plot line -- when I can't even start my "whine" in the right blog. 

I know why I write.  The precedent started with an imaginary playmate who appeared before I was three years old.  By the time I was four, I can remember going on adventures with Jerome [swinging like Tarzan from the neighbor's weeping willow branches] ... but not the adventures.  

In sixth grade, my teacher revealed the secret that stories were written ... and didn't appear miraculously in bound paper.  I picked up the bad habit of writing stories in junior high and haven't stopped since.  It's an itch that needs to be scratched.

No writing ... and I spend too much time day dreaming about what would happen if maybe that "strident lady" marching down the aisle of the store met up with a demon in the parking lot.  Somewhere along the line I learned how to function at the mundane level while jumping into flights of fancy --  though I suspect doing so might prove dangerous.

Why did I keep writing fiction for some six years without any positive feedback except for a few requests for partials which ended up "not being for me"?  Again, writing is a bad habit accompanied by an itch that needs to be scratched.

More important, my stories interest me.  I care about my characters.  They surprise me.  They sometimes make me laugh ... event though I don't write humor any more. 

Why do I write?  The results amuse me more than frustrate me.

[Maybe next week, I'll have time to write a more normal blog ...

before I go on Christmas vacation.]