T.J. Newman at Houston's Murder by the Book

by

Scott D. Parker

Fresh off the publication of her third thriller, Worst Case Scenario, author T.J. Newman landed at Houston’s Murder by the Book on Thursday evening for her first visit to the independent bookstore. Local journalists, Natalie J. Harms, interviewed the former flight attendant and what emerged was a lively discussion of the book, her processes, and the winding road she took to becoming a published author.

The Key is the Research

It’s the question every author fields: where did you get the idea for [Current Book]. Newman told the story of how she researched her first thriller, Falling. She asked pilots about their biggest fears. One commented that it was a commercial airliner crashing into a nuclear power plant. When Newman took the position nearly any one of us would take—there are contingencies built on contingencies to prevent that—the pilot merely said, “That’s what they want you to think.”

Newman commented that she front-loads her process with research, but her books are thrillers. As a result, one of her challenges is how to convey the necessary information to regular folks who read her books. I’ll let you in on how: she has various characters populate her story who themselves don’t know the information. Thus, the experts in her book gets to have an info dump. But the dump is not large. It’s just enough for the character (and reader) to understand the situation and move forward. 

A funny anecdote she told involved a reader whose husband actually worked in a nuclear power plant. After he read the book, his comment on her research was simple: “Spot on.” Great for Newman. Kinda bad for the rest of us (because of how easy this kind of thing can happen).

The Small Town Setting Was Critical, and It Opened Up the Story

When asked why set the book in a small Minnesota town, Newman said that a big city would have all the resources necessary to contain the situation. Small towns don’t, especially a small town that’s been forgotten. But what makes this novel special is the reminder that what happens to a small town can ripple out to everyone, especially when it involves a potential global disaster. It’s a reminder that we’re all in this world together. 

The Writing Process and How It Changed

Newman said that action scenes are more challenging for her to write. There are many emotional scenes in this book, and while they were tough to write, action scenes involve a different type of discipline. The prose, she said, should be sparse, giving what’s happening on the page room to breathe.

And she trusts the audience. “You know what an explosion looks like,” she said. “All I have to do is provide the trigger.” 

She namedropped Sebastian Junger’s The Perfect Storm as a book with this sparse style of action. Also she was hired to adapt her first novel, Falling, into a screenplay. As she said, how do you condense a 300-page book into a 100-page script that’s all action with little-to-no internal thoughts of the characters? It changed how she wrote Worst Case Scenario, her third book. She said there was a relentless editor perched on her shoulder during the writing process, driving home the point that she trusts the audience to fill in the blanks. 

Many writing books and classes say that a good story begins with characters. For Newman, it is plot first. The roles are defined and the characters step up and populate the story. As someone who has written both ways, I don’t have a preference, but I know when we writers are deep into our stories—the kind of depth where we cannot stop thinking about the story or the people in it—our characters come to life in ways we could never have imagined without the plot.

A Respect for Where She Is and How She Got There

Barely three years ago, Newman was a flight attendant on the red eye from Los Angeles to New York. A musical theater student who tried to make it on Broadway and ended up back in her growing-up house, Newman took a job at a local Phoenix bookstore and it was then where her dream of becoming a published author became a goal. 

She wrote Falling on those red-eye flights, on napkins and notepads and an iPad. She endured over forty rejections before someone said yes. And the whirlwind of her life took off. But she knows how much of a privilege it is to have “writer” as her job description. You can hear it in the way she speaks, the way she carries herself, and how she interacts with her fans. 

The last question of the evening came from John, one of the good folks at the bookstore (and my “professor” in Cozy College). He asked Newman what surprised her now that she’s a published author that she didn’t know when she worked as a bookseller. Her answer was special. 

A writer has an idea and goes through the long process of getting the book ideated, written, and edited. Then there’s the publishing side of things with cover concepts and promotions. The bookseller is the final baton pass from author to reader. The bookseller is the person who knows you, who might literally put a book in your hands and say, “You’ll like this” or “You have to read this.” 

That is magical. And that’s why I love independent bookstores because you get to know the people who work there and they know you. 

T.J. Newman is a gifted writer, and based on her first three novels, she has landed on a rarified personal list: I will read everything she writes. She is also a wonderful interviewee and if you get a chance to see her at a book event, grab that opportunity. You’ll be glad you did.

My reviews:

Falling

Drowning

Worst Case Scenario

Links:

T.J. Newman’s website

Natalie’s website

San Diego Comic Fest!

On Sunday I'm going to be at San Diego Comic Fest to promote Black Sails, Disco Inferno while participating in a fun panel alongside fellow San Diego area writers Tone Milazzo, Indy Quillen, Chad Stroup, Israel Finn, and Lara Campbell McGehee. If you've got a pass, you can come hang out at the Kirby Cafe with us and listen to us discuss the business of writing as authors who, like most people, aren't cashing James Patterson checks.

I've never been on a live panel before, so it'll be a lot of fun. More info on Comic Fest here.

I've been working on my notes for the panel, and I obviously can't get into it here, two days before the real thing, so I'm going to leave you with this video of the band I'm seeing tonight and wish you a happy weekend. Hope to see you Sunday!

Selling Out

One of the realities that authors face is that they almost always have to do public appearances sooner or later. This comes more naturally to some, while others struggle to adapt to marketing themselves. As writers, we tend to live in our heads a fair bit, and that puts us in a place where we get wrapped up in our own fears and thoughts and often make things harder on ourselves than they need to be.

That was one of the key things I took away from a recent Skype conference with author and literary event manager, Sarah L. Johnson.

When she launched her own book, Johnson had been coordinating events for over a year, but “when you’re talking about your own work it’s very different and you get nervous.” Although the nerves are natural, she says that one of the most important things an author can do to prepare for a bookstore event is to relax. “It really isn’t a big deal. It’s a friendly room. There’s nothing to be worried about. These are people who want to support you.”

What's the secret to a successful author event? Sarah's insight and advice is running in full today. I think for me, the biggest thing I took away from this is that we are our own worst enemies.

I will say that it can be hard to fully embrace the self promotion aspect, though. If you're in your own hometown you should have a strong audience to pull into an event. For some of us who've moved around far too much as an adult, we have limited local social circles. It's left me wondering if there's a void that can be filled with online book launches. I know the odd person still does blog tours, but the heyday of blogs and the large author social circle online seems to be far behind us, and I do find myself wondering why that is. Are we only able to invest in immediate results, and because we can't always see the impact of a blog post to the overwhelming majority of the audience, who do not comment or interact with the writer, does that render the medium ineffective? When I post here and get no comments or only 1 is it a sign that it's time to pack it in? Yet the site stats tell a different story, and it does leave me wondering why the shift away from internet promotion, or the change in how that occurs.

Which is probably enough to get me wrapped up inside my own head for the rest of this Monday morning. So instead of falling down that rabbit hole, hop over to Spinetingler and check out Sarah's tips for successful bookstore events.

Inaugural Author Talk

by
Scott D. Parker

When you’re an author, there’s a list of things you know you want to do: have a book you wrote actually published; have folks tell you they liked the book; be interviewed; and give a talk as a professional author. Well, I can cross off that last one.

About a month ago, the men’s group at my church asked me to speak as a professional author. The man who asked me I’ve known for a long time. Long time. In fact, he taught my Sunday School class back in the day. He and I now attend the same church. He bought Wading Into War, enjoyed it, and asked me to talk to his group. It was an honor to say yes and, this past Tuesday, at 7am, I was there as a guest.

It’s an odd feeling to be the guest of honor. This counts as my first time anywhere, anytime. It meant I got to get my breakfast first. Large scoop of eggs, bacon, biscuits, and pancakes fill me up ahead of my talk.

I brought some items for show-and-tell. I told the story of how I went from being only a reader to a published author who now runs his own publishing company. It’s a fun tale, full of twists and turns, a lot of rejections, but ultimate getting to the first finish line. I have no issues with public speaking. I find I can get quite comfortable in front of a microphone and people. I’ll admit, however, that the first couple of minutes were a little tense.

Afterwards, many of the guys came up to me to thank me for talking and how much they enjoyed the event. A musician particularly enjoyed me talking process and how my process and his process for practicing guitar kinda matched. Of all the nice accolades, one gentleman made my day: without any prompting by me during the speech to indicate I enjoyed CASTLE, this nice man said that when he looked up at me talking on the stage, it was like watching Richard Castle from the TV show. Awesome!

The talk was a great pleasure. I know my fellow DSDers have delivered talks, and I have finally joined their ranks. It was a blast and I’m looking forward to the next one.

Quertermous, Laukkanen and Joy at Houston’s Murder by the Book

by
Scott D. Parker

Slowly but surely, I am meeting each one of my fellow DSDers in person. I’ve met Joelle and Russell and now Bryon. He arrived at Murder by the Book last night with two other authors: David Joy and Owen Laukkanen. The fourth author, Duane Swierczynski, couldn’t make the trip from Philadelphia on account of the weather.

It’s always a funny thing to see a person in the flesh with whom you have corresponded over the internet. But he looks just like his photo over at his website. In Arizona, he wore a Flash T-shirt. I was wondering what hero garb he’d wear in Texas. Turns out to be Deadpool. (Pondering a hidden meaning…)

The Murder by the Book folks, led by owner McKenna Jordon, run these author events like a well-oiled machine. As they prepared for the talk, I chatted with author Bill Crider. It’s been awhile since I’d seen him and it was good to catch up.

McKenna moderated the panel with five questions that each author answered. She started with each man’s writerly routine. Bryon likes to get away and write in a McDonald’s up in Michigan where he lives. It’s the only place in town without WiFi so he can work uninterrupted and work on his words. Speaking of words, Owen strives for 5,000 words per day. And I’m officially very impressed. David’s words come when they come. He wrote his debut book while holding down two jobs. So to all those folks who say they don’t have time to write, I’ll give you David as Exhibit A.

When asked about the genesis of their books, Bryon said that he struggled a lot but that these characters (in Murder Boy) kept talking to him. Then a thought occurred to him and it acted like a revelation: “The Great American Novel can’t be a murder mystery.” David got the group laughing when he mentioned that he literally burned early drafts of his book. Owen, while lobster fishing, had a lot of time to think and he started wondering about telling the story of sex slaves from the POV of the slaves themselves.

In regards to writing approaches and how they might be different for different kinds of books, David confessed that he’s not good at anything else but writing. Owen touted his YA novel where he allowed himself to be as over-the-top as possible and it resonated not only with his agent and editor but one of the folks last night. Bryon tried to tell the story of Murder Boy as a short story, short play, full-length play, and then finally novel. Through it all, he managed to wrangle the text into the novel that’s out soon. (Psst! If you were at the event, they already had the novel available so it pays to go to author events!)

Writing heroes was another topic discussed. Owen studied the Da Vinci Code to help his own dad write a thriller. He also name dropped Thomas King, of Cherokee descent, who helped Owen understand the important of looking at your own work with a critical eye. David named a lot of authors he enjoys including Larry Brown, William Gay, Ron Rash, and Jeneatte Winterson. Bryon centered on two books as the actual sparks he needed to get Murder Boy written: Duane Swierczynski’s The Wheelman and Victor Gischler’s The Pistol Poets. He also extolled a love of late 50s/early 60s pulp fiction and specifically mentioned Hard Case Crime, something with which I can wholeheartedly concur.

Lastly, McKenna asked the superpower question: which one would you like to have. Bryon started off with ‘wealth’ partially because he gravitates to the non-powered heroes in comics but also because he could then buy the gadgets to help people. David didn’t read comics too much, but he has a fascination with fish so he went went the breathing underwater power (to which Bryon commented on the New 52 version of Aquaman, another thing I can vouch for). Owen, dreading the 5am flight he took this morning, craved teleportation. He also wanted the drug from the movie Limitless so he could write more books.

It was a swell time and I look forward to meeting more of my fellow DSDers someday. But the best thing about an event like this with multiple authors is the very thing you can only get from a bookstore like Murder by the Book: you get exposed to books and authors outside your normal range.

So get to a bookstore and browse and discover something new.

Biting the Hand that Feeds You

For years, my dream has been to publish a book and have an author event at my amazing local mystery bookstore, Once Upon a Crime.

Now, that dream is coming true.

My goal is to hang with my family and friends and drink wine and eat good food as a way to stop and celebrate my publishing journey. Selling and signing books at the store is a bonus—it’s the gravy.

Because I’ve thought long and hard about this and book signings aren’t really held for authors to sell and sign books. That’s not the point. And any really smart book publicist will tell you that unless you are a household name like Stephen King, you don't do author events to make money.

What you do, however, is give readers a chance to connect with you on a personal level.

That's why I go to author events. I want to meet the author in person, maybe get a sense of their personality, get to feel like I know them a little.

And yet some authors don’t quite get that.

Or maybe they just forget. Or maybe, they are so uncomfortable around people they find it torture. Any of those reasons could be why I’ve had some bad experiences with authors at these events.

For instance, I’ve attended one signing where the famous mystery author berated and scolded the crowd, even going so far as to dismiss a question my friend asked, saying “Does anyone else have a REAL question?”

In another case, an author I interact with frequently on Twitter acted like signing his book was a big pain in the butt. He was either so stressed or harried, he hurriedly scribbled his signature, and turned to the next person in line like it was an assembly line he couldn't get through fast enough.

I don't get it. Readers have made time in their day and spent good money to buy the author's book and in return are treated like ... well, like they are a bother.

Compare that to another local author I interacted with on Facebook a few times. When I saw her at a table at a local book conference, I made a beeline to meet her in person.

Before I even got to her table, she had greeted me by name.

In all three cases, I bought the author’s books. But when it comes to buying their next book, I might hesitate based on the impression the first two made.

And don’t get me wrong, I don't expect every author to remember faces and names of everyone they interact with on social media. That's not realistic.

But I think the two authors above who gave the impression (whether they intended to or not) that they could care less about their readers, are losing track of just what an author appearance/event is about.

Would you stop buying a favorite author’s books if they were not as “personable” as you would have hoped?

Exit Stage Left, Pursued by a Reader

By Russel D McLean

One of the things I love most in this business is meeting readers.

I've talked about this time and again but its true. I love getting out in the trenches and seeing people in action, figuring out who buys the books. Sometimes they're insane. Sometimes they're wonderful. Sometimes they're determined to prove they're smarter than the author. Sometimes all they want is to be entertained.

Whatever, I love meeting them.

I was thinking about this again after doing a book and beer evening with Stuart MacBride in Crail. Its the third me and Stuart have worked together. The first time we did an event together, things were a little awkward awkward. Neither of us knew the other's rhythms too well and we both floundered a little (although thankfully we pulled it back in the end and everyone had a good time) but now we seem to be getting a handle on each other, working out how to come across well on stage.

And that's something you're never prepared for as a writer:

The Event.

You know, where people come out to meet the flesh behind the pages. Where they want to see in action the mind that created a whole fictional narrative.

The people who come out want to be informed. They want to be entertained. They want to feel like they've seen something behind the books.

And that's odd.

Because writers are naturally insular people. One of the reasons I have loved working with MacBride (God only knows how he feels working with me) is that he is a born entertainer. I can play the straight man to his Polish Swearing routine or field a serious answer to which he can then create a punchline (and then still tack on a serious answer that outflanks my own). But he knows when to pull it in, when the audience aren't reacting or when they need him to be the writer, not just the beardy Sex God.

But its strange being on that stage. Knowing that these people have come to see you.

I've seen it go wrong so many times. From the writer who talked for five minutes then announced that not enough people were here and walked off to the author who read from their book in a dull monotone for an hour straight. I've seen writers paired together who clearly had no common ground. I've seen panels collapse due to a overbearing host.

But the problem is that we're not trained how to speak in public. We're just expected to know how to do it naturally. We're also often expected just to show up with no advance contact and bounce off other writers we've never met... (I'm not going to mention the pay situation)

I've done a lot of events now. I'm starting to get a personality that I play up. Mostly its a befuddled one,  but then its just an extension of who I am naturally. I've learned how to project, how to vamp when I don't know what I'm talking about, but all the same I've had little in the way of formal training (in terms of talking about writing; I did some stage work in my younger days) and just had to make it up as I went along. I still envy writers like John Connolly who can talk so eloquently, or Christopher Brookmyre who can naturally make a room crack up with laughter. Or Megan Abbott who just seems to always know exactly what she's saying. Or James Ellroy who just puts on the greatest motherfucking show that any pervert with a brain will appreciate. Dig the demon dog, hep-cats, he's got the greatest show in history.

 The pressure of events on writers is fantastic. We're expected just to show up and be interesting, but unlike stand ups or actors, we got into our line of work so we wouldn't have to deal with people. Now, I've discovered I love doing events, and more importantly love meeting readers, but I know every time that I have to give them something whether its a few good punchlines or perhaps a few insights into something they didn't expect (I've started to talk more and more about the style and lives of writers who influenced me; my life revolves around books, so why shouldn't I talk about them?). It can't just be about plugging the new book or reading page after page (unless you're good at that). The audience are there to be entertained. Which means that any writer who agrees to do an event should be aware of what they are getting into. As I have seen (especially with the writer who talked for a few minutes before walking off due to low turnout) some are doing only because it is expected of them, not because they want to. A bad event can be worse than no event at all in a reader's eyes, especially if they are not entertained. Because we have to remember, its all about the readers. The audience. And its certainly not about feeding our own egos. I certainly hope that anyone who sees me comes away with some sense of value for money. Even if the event was free...

How to Be an Author's Dream

By Russel D McLean

(a response to “How to be an independent bookseller’s dream)

A few months ago, this article cropped up on the web, pulling ire from certain quarters for its allegedly patronising attitude to authors. On some levels, much of what it has to say is good - - basically, if you’re doing a signing at a bookstore, don’t be a dick about it. On other levels, some of it is more than a little patronising (the stuff about not reading too long is in part right, but it all depends on the author).

But the line that gets me is the one about booksellers being “very powerful people” on the night of the event because, while that should be true, some of them do not in any way use this “power” for good. In fact some of them abuse this power and still retain a horrific attitude towards the authors who, after all, are the reasons people come to the store in the first place.

Let me start by saying that I've been horrifically lucky in that ninety nine percent of my signings have been in bookstores with passionate staff, organised events programs and a real passion for the industry. And let me also that having had experience in the retail end myself, I know exactly what I do for visiting authors, and that I have seen things from the other side, both good and bad. But this is a reaction to a whole series of poorly organised events I've been to lately by stores who really should know better (and I've been as a member of the public, none of them knew I was an author).

I’ve witnessed some appallingly handled events recently by stores with allegedly good reputations. At these events, turnout has been poor and the booksellers have moaned about “internet competition” and “dwindling buyers” without even considering that part of the reason could be they are utterly failing to get proactive and, to use the vernacular of the theatre, get those bums in seats.

Let’s start with the basics:

You have a website. Put your events on it. Like, in advance. Like, in time. Sell the event to the masses. Tweet about it. The week before. The day before. On the day. It doesn’t take effort.
You have a window. You have (occasionally) showcards from the publishers. It might help to put those in your window and not hide them round the side of a desk where no one can see them. Because if your public can see there’s an event, they might just come. And even if the publishers fail to do that, hell, maybe you could create some posters of your own. You have a computer, yes? You can create a little document with words on that you can stick in the window?

You might also want to print off flyers in advance, find a tame journalist on your local paper, maybe even work with other appropriate local businesses to cross promote in some fashion. Just because you have an event does not mean people will come. They have to know you are doing the event first. And they won’t know that by osmosis or even just by being regular customers. Hell, get a word or two in the local papers and you might just bring new customers to the store. Okay, this might be above and beyond but in this climate, every little effort helps.

Which brings me to the other point. Tell your regular customers that an author is coming. Tell your not so regular customers. If someone’s buying a similar book, stick one of those flyers in their bags or talk to them about it. No one’s going to know if you don’t talk to them. Hell, your shop is about books. The point of coming to a store and not shopping online is to join in the literary conversation, to feel like you’re having that goddamn human contact. Being a bookseller is very different to other kinds of retail. You’ve got to be a little bit of a showperson. You’ve got to connect with your customers (and at the same time, of course, you have to know when to leave them alone).

If you do events regularly try and keep the formats and times similar so that people can plan around them.

Remember, you’re offering something the internet can’t - - actual contact with an author. A direct and unique kind of access. If you don’t shout about it, no one’s going to know and no one’s going to come to your store. Yes the author, too, should be shouting about it, but its your store. You are ultimately responsible for the business. So you’d better get off your arse and do something.

And when the author does come to speak, you might want to give them a little intro before they begin, maybe give those custombers who came in just for that author a reason to come back.

It’s insane and it sounds like teaching granny to suck eggs, but over and over I see certain bookstores failing to do any of the above. An author I went to see recently was mortified when the store in question had no sign at all of their presence and when the staff simply shrugged their shoulders upon the author’s arrival. And this was a shop that had booked the author over a month in advance and asked them to come overseas to do the gig. On their own dime.

If you have done your absolute best and still no one has turned up, it helps to apologise to the author. They came all the way to your store when they could have gone to that Big Box across the road or just not bothered at all and signed copies at the publisher’s warehouse to go straight out to some internet company who don’t do the human contact thing at all. Little things help.

Like saying, “Well, if you could still sign some copies, we’ll do our best to handsell them. People like signed copies and it’ll help us get a trickle effect so that while you didn’t sell any tonight, we’ll sell them for you in the coming days.” Or even, if the author’s fine with it, getting them to do their thing for the staff, who should still be interested being that they work in a bookstore and our industry should be run by outright passion (combined with business sense). I did this in LA when absolutely no one came to the store where I was signing, even by accident, and it was a great dry run for more successful subsequent events.

And I can already hear certain people asking “why should we apologise to authors?” The answer’s simple: they are your trump card. Amazon isn’t able to offer direct contact. You are. And authors talk, so if word gets around that you aren’t too interested in being at least civil, then pretty soon that trump card’s back in the deck and your hand’s worth nothing*

I’ve seen this from both sides. Having spent many years in retail and many years as an author, I know the pitfalls that can befall either side. But I have recently noticed certain bookstores not pulling their weight. Relying on the mere fact that they are open to draw crowds for book events or expecting the author to click their fingers and pull in sales. It doesn’t work like that. It can’t work like that.

In conclusion, booksellers - as the original article states quite clearly - are powerful people to authors, but equally authors are powerful people to booksellers. Without authors there are no books. Without books, booksellers have nothing to sell. We need each other. Neither one of us is more or less “necessary”. So yeah, authors should be nice to booksellers, but equally booksellers need to do their jobs and be nice to authors.

Because otherwise, from either side, what the hell is the point?

*Can I admit at this point I don’t play cards, so apologies for the poor metaphor.

Jeff Abbott at Murder by the Book

by

Scott D. Parker

On a hot night in H-Town, the last day of June, Jeff Abbott revealed the secret to the greatest author research scam in history.

I first learned about Abbott last year when he published Trust Me. I can't recall how it was I came to know about the book. Perhaps it was the fact that the hero, Luke Dantry, worked at the University of Texas, or that part of the story was set here in Houston. Regardless of how I came to Trust Me, I thoroughly enjoyed the book, and Abbott landed himself on my Must Read List.

He's touring Texas this year, visiting bookstores to correspond with the publication of his new book, Adrenaline. New to American readers. English readers already have the second book in their hands. When I learned Abbott was going to have a signing at Murder by the Book, I cleared the calendar.

Since the last time I attended a signing--our very own Joelle Charbonneau--McKenna Jordan changed up the shop a bit. Well, not the shop, just where the authors give their presentations. Where once the authors station was up near the front, now, the authors answer questions and talk about their books at the back of the store.

Standing next to the shelf of used espionage paperbacks, Abbott talked enthusiastically about Adrenaline. It's Sam Capra's first adventure. Once Abbot shifted his books from traditional mysteries--and series characters--to thrillers, he wrote stand-alones. Many readers questioned Abbott about the return of Luke or some of his other protagonists. In his mind, he puts those characters through the wringer without having to think about leaving them in one piece for the next book. That's the beauty of stand-alone books.

With Sam Capra, Abbott set out to create a series character. But everything's been done before. Or so he thought. What about an ex-CIA agent? Done. Okay, what about one who is only twenty-five, at the beginning of his life? Better. Ah, and how about if this young, ex-CIA agent say, owned bars across the world? Bingo!

Yeah, but first he's got to be saved from an exploding building, see his pregnant wife kidnapped, and be accused of treason. That's not a spoiler. That's dust jacket copy.

Thursday was an exciting night to meet Abbott. In the UK, his first YA novel landed in the stores. Yesterday, Adrenaline was published, complete with loads of accolades. It's like being on the cusp of something huge.

How about that author/research scam? What better way, Abbott reasoned, to learn about different bars in Europe that to...visit different bars in Europe. It was one of his European publishers who commented that Abbott had stumbled upon the greatest research scam in history. I mean, think about it: he gets to go to bars, drink a cocktail or two, and it's all tax deductible.

Hey. You know. He's on to something. I think my next hero is going to be a food critic in the Caribbean...

Book of the Week: Adrenaline by Jeff Abbott. As if I'd do something else...?

Reverential Treatment

by
Scott D. Parker


Earlier this week, my wife and I had the opportunity to attend a lecture by Jane Goodall. The Wortham Center here in Houston was sold out, but there were a few empty seats. Maybe it was traffic?

Anyway, after the first two gentlemen spoke, out walks Ms. Goodall. This thin, 77-year-old woman was dressed all in black with a nice, fuscha shawl draped around her shoulders, her long, gray hair pulled back in the customary pony tail. There was a palpable excitement in the air and we all sat enraptured during her 70-minute speech.

After a short Q&A, she exited to the main foyer of the Wortham. This is a huge space, stories tall, and we patrons did the thing all of us likely really came for: to stand in line to get her autograph and a quick snapshot. By the time we got out of the auditorium, we were about third from the end. (Mental note, Scott: Q&A isn't that big a deal. Do what the others did and get in line at that point.) For an hour or so, we stood in line, chatted with those around us. I got to hear stories of how Goodall has affected each person's lives.

All during this waiting, Ms. Goodall sat on a stool, signed everything put in front of her, and posed for the official photographer to snap pictures. I've been to author signings so this part is nothing new. I noticed something I haven't seen at an author event: a good number of the people meeting this remarkable woman--perhaps for the first and only time--touched her, mostly on the shoulder or arm.

What is it about this woman that makes people want to touch her? I don't ever remember feeling the urge to touch the authors I've met. Well, I've shook the hands of each, but that's more of a professional acknowledgement. This was like a form of worship, if you want the truth.

I know we humans can become a fan (fanatical) of a particular movie, book, author, actor, singer, etc. It can border on obsession (says the guy who memorized the number of the trash compactor from "Star Wars" when he was 10 and has never forgotten it). I don't get the sense that we readers and writers worship fellow authors, even if we happen to meet someone like Stephen King or Nora Roberts. Is it, perhaps, because we do what they do, that is create stories? Sure, not as successfully, but still, it's the same basic thing. Is there a loss of mystique when we can replicate what famous people do? Perhaps that's why we get tongue-tied when we meet folks like presidents or activists like Goodall rather than authors.

What do you think? Is there no mystique to writing? Or is it that we fiction writers don't necessarily do the kinds of things that make people want to turn out to see us talk, sign books, and touch our shoulders?

App of the Week: Angry Birds Seasons: Shamrock Edition. I updated my favorite game app for my iPod Touch and found many of these new levels strangely difficult. But I powered through them.

Ethel the Aardvark Goes Quantity Surveying...

By Russel D McLean

Today, returning from Edinburgh after attending the launch of Tony Black’s excellent new novel, TRUTH LIES BLEEDING, I found myself stuck for an hour or so in a small town waiting for the next train. I took a walk around and found myself in the local bookshop. A bookshop even locals don’t seem to know exists.

I find this strange. I know people in this small town, people who are avid readers, and they are completely unaware that this shop exists. Many of them have lamented the lack of a local bookstore – citing a long remembered indy that closed down in the early nineties when the owners retired – and do not seem to have noticed that this store has existed in their town centre for… well, a long time apparently.

The store itself is not large but it has the potential to be one of those little hidden away places you delight in discovering. But it suffers from huge problems. A lack of local publicity. And the frankly appalling stock management. I have been in this bookstore before and every time have noticed the same trends; a distinct lack of interest in local authors (of which there are a fair few, although even those advertised outside are not clearly in stock) and a shelving system that seems to be based along the lines of “lets throw it on and see what happens.” I’m not event going to mention the “feature table” that was just random books thrown on with some balanced on plastic displays. Not a shred of passion evident. Not a jot of local personality. Not only that, but to the best of my knowledge the store has no internet presence, either. And one can talk about the perils of the internet until they’re blue in the face, but the fact is you need some kind of presence on there. Not neccesarily a store front, but a presence, something that lets people know who and where you are and why they should come to you if they are in the local area.

During my recent tour of the states, the best indies I visited had much in common: they thrived on knowledge, enthusiasm and a welcoming atmosphere. They were well organised (even if they initially looked chaotic) and most of them thrived on local atmosphere. And events. Offering something chain stores and the internet could not; a chance to meet authors. This local bookstore has shrugged when presented with authors from the area in the past (Even when customers have asked for authors from the local area, they’ve been met with a shrug and a “I haven’t heard of them. What, they were in the local paper? Why would I read that?” response). In short, they were good at what they do. They were on the ball. They were part of the local community. They were supportive of authors.

This bookstore is none of these things, and it depressed me to see. In the current climate, I think that while ebooks offer a challenge to print, they are not – and some people are going to disagree with me on this – going to entirely replace them. I think that physical bookstores; by offering more than a place where one goes to buy books, by offering a hub and a face to face community* where readers can engage both each other and, yes, authors. Oh, I’m a believer in good author events, in that unique physical interaction and in the fact that a personally signed book is genuinely worth something that is immeasurable in money terms.

Yes, e-books are here to stay and probably at cheap prices that will appeal to mass buyers. But physical books and bookstores need to up their game to stay relevant. They may never have the dominance they once enjoyed (and I believe that is a shame) but they need to remain as the bastion of the joy of books and written-word storytelling, as the people who know whereof the talk, the people you go to, the people you who genuinely love what they are selling. You should want to walk in because they can offer you the kind of discussion that cannot be had with Amazon’s “recommend” system and because they can offer you a uniquely human and direct link to their product.



*at last year’s Bouchercon I was struck by toastmaster Eddie Muller talking about how face to face interaction encourages romance in the world. My interpretation of what he said was that he meant not just lovey-dovey romance, but that genuinely exciting feeling that comes with real interaction - - something that online forums cannot replicate entirely, despite presenting the illusion thereof and despite having an undeniable place in modern society.

Joelle Charbonneau at Murder by the Book

by
Scott D. Parker

I think by now, most of us can hum the theme song to “Cheers” and, if not, at least know the sentiment of the song: you want to go somewhere where everybody knows your name. I don’t frequent bars, but I do frequent Murder by the Book and dang if it isn’t a place with people who know my name. Fellow Do Some Damage scribe Joelle Charbonneau was to have her first signing at the store and I had called ahead to reserve a copy of her book, Skating Around the Law. No sooner do I enter the door than Dean James reaches behind the counter and delivers Joelle’s book to my hands. That, my friends, is the type of service that’s few and far between in this day and age. It’s noticed and appreciated.

Joelle Charbonneau, a Chicagoan, was one of three authors at Murder by the Book last Saturday, JoAnna Carl and Jan Grape were the other two. Since I literally had just picked up Joelle’s book, I hadn’t read anything by them so I automatically felt at a loss. In addition, I tend to read the grittier material, hard-boiled fiction and noir stuff. Ironically, that kind of reading is in direct contrast to the types of mysteries I watch on television: Castle, Masterpiece Mystery [Foyle’s War; Wallander; Collision], Monk, CSI: Miami. Not exactly blood and guts, you know? I’ve been contemplating the types of books I write and this light vs. dark debate is the primary question I’m trying to answer. Needless to say, I was pretty excited about the event.

After brief introductions and biographies, the authors read their first chapters (or portions of chapters) for us. In all the author events I’ve been to, this was a first for me. JoAnna kicked it off by reading from The Chocolate Pirate Plot. Jan followed with What Doesn’t Kill You. The third member of the “J” Gang was Joelle who read most of her chapter. Here’s what struck me by all three authors was the audience reactions. There was about a dozen of us and we laughed, chuckled, or gasped at all the right places. I think it’s great, as a writer, to read aloud to other people and see if they react like you expected them to do.

Each writer talked about the inspiration of their new book. For JoAnna, this is twelfth book in her series featuring Lee McKinney. Jan demurred, saying there were too many inspirations to mention just one. I can concur with that, seeing that some of my ideas filter down from dozens of sources. Joelle’s mother is a world class rollerskater so it was natural for Joelle to write a skating book. Her agent was, according to Joelle, probably thinking of a romance novel. The only problem was that Joelle kept seeing a dead body at the end of chapter one. Thus, a mystery with some romance.

Seeing as we here at Do Some Damage just discussed our writing habits, I asked them to talk about theirs. Interestingly, all three authors don’t outline, at least in the traditional sense. They generally have an idea of whodunit and a place to start and little else. They all stressed the concept that they, the writers, were, in fact, the first reader and they wanted to just keep going. As Jan said, “You have to tell the story to yourself first, then you can fiddle with it.” Personally, I think that the fiddling is where many writers—this one included—go astray. If we can’t even garner enough interest from outline to prose, how the heck will our readers.

The entire event was just plain fun. As a buyer of Joelle’s book, I earned myself a tour T-shirt complete with tour dates on the back. Tres cool. After I finish Joelle’s book (and Russel McLean’s The Good Son that I picked up at his event a few weeks ago), I’ll be tackling Jan’s and JoAnna’s books.

I spoke with Jan a bit about her time as a bookseller in Austin. She had opened a mystery bookstore in the 1990s, and, at one point, Texas had four mystery bookstores. Jan had to shutter the doors of her shop after business dried up. Now, if I remember correctly, Murder by the Book is the only mystery bookstore left in Texas. So, people, if you have a independent bookstore near you, frequent it. Get the folks who work there to learn who you are and what you like. Then, one day, you’ll be able to walk in the store and they’ll know your name and you’ll feel right at home. You might even hear that familiar theme song...

Russel McLean at Murder by the Book

by
Scott D. Parker

It can be a little strange when you see a black and white photograph come to life in full color, but that's what happened last night in Houston. We writers here at Do Some Damage have been doing this group blog thing for a little over a year now. We've had lots of e-mail conversations, and, yet, most of us have yet to meet face to face. Thus, the only images we have of each other are the pictures over there on the left. Had you been a fly (or mosquito) on the wall yesterday, you would have been able to see me and Russel McLean give each other the quick once-over, making sure the living, moving person in front of us was who we thought it was.

An intimate, but exuberant crowd met Russel McLean on his first trip to Murder by the Book last night. This was the second official stop on Russel's Getting Lost in America Tour after Minneapolis on Thursday. He will be in Los Angeles for the weekend before jetting out to Poisoned Pen bookstore in Arizona, and then onto Bouchercon in San Francisco later next week.

Wearing a camel-colored blazer over black pants and a black shirt, Russel told me ahead of time the book signing that he feared no one would show up. I suspect that's the greatest panic for any author on his first book tour. Late in the evening, one of the folks getting their book signed asked him if he felt weird being on the other side of the signing table. For those of y'all not in the know, Russel's day job back home is as a bookseller. The joking and snarkiness completely left him when he said, in all honesty, that it was definitely a different feeling. Well, I think it's safe to write that if word gets out about how entertaining Russel is at book events, he should start getting used to being behind the table. Actually, come to think of it, he should book two gigs per city: a bookstore and comedy clubs.

Russel's Scottish accent was a fun topic with which to start the event. He joked that he had forgotten his translation cards back in Scotland, them being too big for his suitcase. Strangely enough, when he prompted the audience for a volunteer to come up to the front and translate his speech via interpretive dance, he had no takers. I couldn't do it. I didn't have the right footwear.

Without notes of any kind, Russel talked about his current town (city?) of Dundee and how it played a major role in the creation of his first two novels, The Good Son and The Lost Sister. After the first slip of foul language, Russel apologized, citing the numerous colorful words in his novels. That started a running gag about trying to see if certain groups of people (Citizens Against Foul Language, John Travolta Fans) would get incensed enough to get up and walk out. Hey, we're Houstonians. We hear that stuff in rush hour. Don't bother us none. Actually, when it comes to crisp language in books, Russel said that he knew he'd written a good book when his mother read the novel and it upset her.

As a bookseller--that being a person who sells physical books with paper and ink--Russel had the type of reaction anyone has when first entering Murder by the Book: awe. It's a fantastic store with fantastic folks working there. And Russel's passion for books is palpable. He name-dropped numerous authors he likes and talks up back home, not the least of whom was fellow author (and current agent) Allan Guthrie. The audience last night wasn't shy so there was a lot of back and forth among us. It's one of the best things about attending book signing: we all love books and don't need to spend time talking about something. You can just hear Russel say that classic American crime fiction like Chandler and Ross MacDonald were major influences and the rest of us nod in agreement.

Bouchercon is in San Francisco next week. Having attended more than one Bouchercon, Russel said that SF called to him. He had to answer the call. In a surprise revelation last night, he let us know that another SF used to call him. Science Fiction. Crime fiction is Russel's second genre in which he's written novels. Being a SF geek myself, I asked him how he came to crime fiction from SF. He had written a Doctor Who tie-in novel (rejected) and another SF novel (rejected) before his dad passed him an Elmore Leonard novel. Once Leonard got in his veins, Russel said, he made the obvious conclusion: how about I give crime fiction a go. We readers can count our blessings that he did.

It was a thrill to meet Russel last night and to join in a full celebration of his two novels, mystery fiction, and the joy of reading. I'm already looking forward to his next book...and tour.

Coming to America...

By Russel D McLean

First time I went to the states I was 12. My memories are a hazy blur, if I'm honest, but more than a few images stick in my mind. Food mostly. My first proper buffet experience, Denny's breakfasts (hey, I was tweleve and breakfast here is like, a bowl of cereal), tacos the size of my head and so many other delights.

Since then I've been back several times... once during an unsuccesful application to NYU (I was going to my PhD there and foolishly decided Bristol uni offered a better course) and again for Bouchercons in Chicago, Madison and then Baltimore. I've been to NYC twice now, and still love the city, because it lived up to everything I imagined and then some. Something in the air excites me about the place. Its the people, too. I've made so many friends over the course of these trips, and one of the reasons I love going back is to see them and also to see who else I can bump into. Also, I dig the US indy bookstores, and maybe it says something that after the Madison Bouchercon I was followed home by seven large boxes of books that came via the mail.

"So, Russel," I hear you say, "What is the rambling of your love for the US leading us to?"

Oh, you're well ahead of me, you terrible smart people. Yes, I'm just wrapping things up now, but I am proud to announce a small US tour prior to what will be a wonderful event in San Francisco, this year's Bouchercon.

Its only a few dates, but I'd like to thank all the stores who have been willing to let me invade their premises. So if you're in the US and find yourself in need of coming to see a beardy Scotsman, then check out these locales:

7 October, I'll be kicking things off with the lovely folks at Once Upon a Crime in Minneapolis. I've never been to Minneapolis before, but let me tell you this: I'm looking forward to it. Come along and hear me ramble at 7pm.

On October 8, I'll be heading out early to make a beeline for Texas where in the evening, I'll be appearing at Houston's wonderful Murder by the Book. Again, I've never been to Houston, but they tell me its fairly hot out that way. This means I will not be wearing my big leather jacket.

A few days rest (I'll be seeing some friends at this point, more than likely) means I'll be in Scottsdale, Arizona for an event at The Poisoned Pen on 11 October. This last gig thanks to a wonderful reader I met at this year's Harrogate who pleaded the case for my appearance at the store.

And then?

Well, then its San Fran, baby, where it'll be a blowout for Bouchercon, baby. Although I'll be very nervous about going in any cars through the city just in case this happens:



So if you find yourself at any of these places on any of these dates, do come along and say hello. I'll look forward to seeing you! And do keep an eye on my other blog just in case some other dates appear (or I can give you info on places where I'll be simply leaving behind signed stock)

Read Out Loud

By Russel D McLean

Recently, I’ve been working some (sssssh, top secret, but keep yer eye on me website blog for more details soon!) events for… well, sometime. In communication with one venue, I got an interesting email that said, in part, “we tend to discourage “readings””

I found that an interesting comment and one I wholeheartedly agree with. While I have done some small excerpts at events, I tend to keep these as short as I can because I feel the audience only has so much of an attention span and I know that I tend to zone out when hearing long excerpts. I also know that when I go to an author event, I’m not there to hear the author because – let’s face it – most authors cannot read from their books. Noteable exceptions of course include Allan Guthrie’s “Jesus” voice from Hardman (I still read the book and hear him) and the mighty mighty James “Devil Dog” Ellroy reading anything because, holy shit, the way he reads is the way you hear that damn book in your head. He’s whaaaacked, brother, and so far goooooone you gotta see him to believe him.

But on the whole, I like writers to give me something… something else. Because in general there’s a reason they’re writers and not actors (of course, Stuart MacBride has read his own book on audio, but he’s had theaterly training and Martyn Waites’ reading of Ray Banks is brilliant, because Waites was a professional actor for many years) Hands up, one of the worst events I saw was a writer whom I like on a personal level who did nothing but read from the book. It was a painful experience, even more so when they started answering questions and suddenly the event came to life. I mean, honestly, out of context excerpts are yawnsville except in small, staccato bursts. When I do read, I limit myself to maybe five pages and two excerpts. And then because mostly I have believed it to be expected of me.

But the more I think about the more I love the events where the author can talk about their life, their work, their reading habits. Iain (M) Banks is brilliant at this – so much that last time I saw he just went straight to the Q&A, and held it for the full hour. I think when we go to see an author, we are not expecting the book to be read to us. Why would we as an audience want that when the book part of he conversation between author and reader is very much a private one and we are going to see them in public? I think as a public spectacle, we want writers to show us something of the mind behind the book. And, yes, some authors are dull, but many are more interesting than they might believe and if they present us with themselves, naturally as they can, many readers will be immensely pleased, as I am, to have seen another side to the process, to understanding the creation of the writing I love.

I’m not saying events have to be intellectual or intensely illuminating, but I am saying that they should always be about more than simply making us aware of a book’s presence. They are, in essence, a form of entertainment, and I have found there to be little entertaining about someone just reading from a book you will later be paying to read yourself.

Of course, I realise I’m setting myself up here… am I as good as my own standards? Goodness only knows, but I try my best to give the audience something that’s fun; a few facts they might not know, some stories I think they might find amusing (ask me about rejection letters; I got a few doozies) and maybe some sense of what they might expect to find in my work if they haven’t read it, and if they have maybe some idea about the thought processes that went into the novels.

And if that fails I just swear in a Fife accent. That seems to amuse people no end…

Swierczynski, Gischler, and Brackmann at Houston's Murder by the Book

by
Scott D. Parker

If you're ever in Houston, you simply must head on over to Murder by the Book. If you get a chance to catch an author event, all the better. But when you hit a jackpot like last weekend--when you get not one, not two, but three authors (and one in the audience)--you'll wonder what good deed you did to get such a welcome reward.

Duane Swierczynski, Victor Gischler, and, making her first appearance as an author at MBTB, Lisa Brackmann took the stage in the late afternoon heat of Houston. Interestingly, Swierczynski and Gischler had not met Brackmann prior to their joint signing session. (Dunno about y'all but I always think there's some secret author organization where they all meet for punch and cookies.) The trio started off pitching their latest novels: Swierczynski and Expiration Date; Gischler and The Deputy; Brackmann and Rock Paper Tiger. Swierczynski started acting the part of the emcee, quizzing the other two authors about the genesis of their respective novels. In the first of many funny moments, Gischler admitted he wrote The Deputy because he lost a bet. Brackmann's heroine was inspired by Iraq War vets and the problems at Abu Ahraib. And Swierczynski admitted that his novels need to have some weird stuff just to keep him interested.

Gischler and Swierczynski both write for comic books and an audience member, his arms full of comics, asked if their comic scripts detailed all that they envisioned or if they left it up to the artists. Swierczynski commented that writes down lots of detail. Gischler admitted he's lazy since he is communicating only to the artist and not the public. Thus, he can just write clear, direct comment without having to filter or make the words pretty.

The one author in the audience, Bill Crider, started pitching questions at the authors behind the microphones. Among them were the following:

• Characters in one book showing up in other books -- Swierczynski said that if he can't kill a character, he feels limited. Gischler jokingly said that none of his characters survive. Brackmann hinted that her next book doesn't have any characters from Rock Paper Tiger but her third novel will return to them.
• Outline: Yes or No -- Gischler likes to discover alongside his characters. Brackmann concurred and paraphrased Ian Rankin when he said "If I knew how a book ends, why would I write it?" Swierczynski has worked with and without outlines. He has a vague idea of the ending and often wings it along the way. Expiration Date was different since it was to be a New York Times serial.
• Titles: create your own? -- Swierczynski: yes. Brackmann: mashed hers together. Gischler: "The Deputy" was merely a placeholder until the end when he realized that those two words had morphed into the title.

This is but the barest glimpse into a highly entertaining time we all had in Houston last week. It's a part of the business of being a writer to which I look forward and it's a blast being a reader and meeting favorite authors. I walked into the bookstore knowing only one of the three authors. I had such a good time meeting the new-to-me authors that I walked out knowing that I'll be reading Brackmann's and Gischler's books in the future.

What are your favorite parts of author events?