Novel Writing Program - Modules And Consults

NY Pitch to Write 2023 has been one of the best experiences of my adult life. Michael was genuine, funny, and friendly from the get go. Never saying no to any questions that popped up in my head, never rejecting anyone's thoughts...but always offering advice that he thought would lead us to getting our work closer to a piece that would sell. He made sure everything from our titles, to the tone of our pitch, to the passion we felt for writing our books was conveyed when we spoke to the visiting faculty. He made sure we got several chances to show him our work, even if it was after working hours in the basement of an Irish bar, he was intent on giving us the best fighting chance. The faculty was warm and friendly and offered great advice. And then of course there was the gang - the group of authors that has now become a solid team rooting for each other, helping out with great suggestions and constantly wanting to stay in touch - I love the community we have created for each other and cannot wait to meet these fine folks again! The conference was 4 days of nonstop thinking about our pitches, being able to take constructive criticism, and being ready to spend the evening hours rewriting and refining and was tough for sure, but Michael and the other authors made it such a worthwhile experience. It's been a week that I've been home and already Michael has been on top of his game sending us post pitch editorial input, responses from editors/ agents, and friendly check-in emails. What began as a journey to get feedback on a solo project has ended up giving me so much more in return - a big thanks to Michael for setting this up!

Test of Nove Meyers.

Great conference. My group leader, Paula Munier, was terrific. Former editor, writer and agent, she knows everything and, with generosity and good humor, worked incredibly hard to share her knowledge with us writers. I don't know when I've learned so much in four days. The real deal for commercial publishing. And what you learn will probably also help with small and university presses as well. Just: can somebody take control of the conference website and highly confusing pre-conference communication?

Our latest bestseller list is brought to you by delicious wine, a perfectly paired cheese, and our affiliate sales data. Partners in Crime by Alisha Rai Amazon | B&N | Kobo The Soulmate Equation by Christina Lauren Amazon | B&N | Kobo A Dangerous Kind of Lady by Mia Vincy Amazon | B&N | Kobo Our Crooked Hearts by Melissa Albert Amazon | B&N | GooglePlay My Fair Concubine by Jeannie Lin Amazon | B&N | Kobo | GooglePlay The King’s Man by Elizabeth Kingston Amazon | B&N | Kobo Flashpoint Series Collection by Rachel Grant Amazon | B&N | Kobo | GooglePlay A Proposal They Can’t Refuse by Natalie Caña Amazon | B&N | Kobo My Sweet Folly by Laura Kinsale Amazon | B&N | Kobo | GooglePlay Murder in Westminster by Vanessa Riley Amazon | B&N | Kobo I hope your weekend reading was restorative. View the full article

LaToya Thompson is desert born, Rust Belt bred, and southern fed. As a writer and editor, she helps aspiring authors annihilate procrastination, fear, and excuses by motivating them to tell their story with authenticity and agency. For LaToya storytelling is joy, truth, and community. Whether it is through the stage or the page, her love of stories spans into every area of her life. When LaToya is not reading books, editing books, or talking about books, she is sampling local coffee shops and hanging out with the coolest kid ever. Connect with LaToya on Instagram and Twitter. You can also read her blog Off the Shelf. ----------Interview by Renee Roberson WOW: Congratulations, LaToya, and welcome to the blog! Your essay is thought provoking and powerful. The first thing that caught my eye about your essay was the title and the way it instantly hooks the reader. How did you decide on this as a way to introduce what must have been a tough piece to write. LaToya: I decided on the title after I finished the first draft. The two constant things about that 24-hour period were the pink lemonade and the concrete. The pink lemonade is characterized by a mix of sweet and sour. It reflected the situation I was in. The concrete became the foreshadowing of how I was going to approach my then-husband and the felony charge I was facing. I felt I had to embody the traits of concrete if I was going to survive. WOW: What is your favorite line from “Pink Lemonade with Concrete Backwash” and why? LaToya: It is a tie: "By morning, the concrete slab I paced would know more about me than anyone" and "My words did not stretch above a whisper. But unlike in my home, they dared to exist." Both of these statements embody the isolation, loneliness, and shrinking that I carried. No one knew what I was living with and trying to survive in. It was suffering in silence. Yet, I knew I still had a voice, but the abuse and the shame were gagging me. At the time, I didn't know what was happening to me was abuse because it was psychological. I knew abuse to be physical, bruises and black eyes and broken bones. My story didn't fit the narrative I was told and that was harmful. WOW: Thank you for pointing out that words can cause harm just as much as physical attacks. Your work as a writing coach who helps writers find their authentic voices. What do you love most about coaching others? LaToya: I love to hear their stories! At my core, I am still a journalist. I enjoy asking questions and pulling the pieces of their story together. The delight for me is watching my clients realize that all those words in their heads actually are telling a story that they and others need to hear. WOW: So often writers don't realize how many stories they really hold inside! What advice would you give a writer who is struggling to share their personal stories on the page? LaToya: When I have worked with clients that are struggling to share their personal stories it could be for a couple of reasons. The writer could be masking or self-protecting. This can be intentional or unintentional and it may mean the writer is feeling anxiety about how others could think and perceive them. Another reason a writer may struggle to share is that it is not time to share that story. And there could be several reasons as to why now is not the time. For either of these reasons, I would suggest to the writer to consider themselves. What feelings are coming up when they try to share the story? What do they need or want to give them support or comfort? There should be no pressure to push a story out. WOW: I love this style of coaching. We'd love to hear about the other writers whose words have inspired you. What books would you recommend by them? LaToya: Some of my favorite authors are Octavia Butler, Alice Walker, Toni Morrison, and Lucille Clifton. Honestly, I would recommend every book by them! I do encourage others to read Fledgling by Octavia Butler. WOW: All great suggestions, and I've been wanting to check out Octavia Butler myself. Thank you again for joining us today!(C) Copyright wow-womenonwriting.com Visit WOW! Women On Writing for lively interviews and how-tos. Check out WOW!'s Classroom and learn something new. Enter the Quarterly Writing Contests. Open Now![url={url}]View the full article[/url]

We’re wrapping up March with our part two of Whatcha Reading! Sneezy: I’ve recently started Between Harlem and Heaven by JJ Johnson and Alexander Smalls. ( A | BN | K ) The writing is lovely and I can’t wait to read all about the food!!!! Elyse: I’m just over halfway through The Priory of the Orange Tree ( A | BN | K | G | AB ) and I’m loving it. It’s epic fantasy, very immersive, and so far there hasn’t been a ton of violence like in other books I’ve read (looking at GRRM). I’m listening to For Her Consideration ( A | BN | K ) but I’m just a little bit in. So far I’m enjoying it Lara: I’ve just started my first ever audiobook and it’s a revelation. I’ve opted for A Study in Scarlet Women by Sherry Thomas and I’m loving it. A | BN | K | ABTara: Audiobooks are the only way I can finish nonfiction! Speaking of which, I’ve started listening to Bittersweet by Susan Cain. I saw her speak about it last year and am glad my library hold came through. Sarah: I just started Artfully Yours by Johanna Lowell. ( A | BN | K ) So far I’ve met the heroine, Nina, who is a boss-level art forger, and is working as a housemaid, and I’ve met the hero, who is an art critic who can spot forgeries, and who has a terrible relationship with his brother. I have barely gotten past the first chapter but I’m very curious and want to have more reading time now, please. Claudia: I can’t believe I missed a new book by her! I really liked the Runaway Duchess (The Duke Undone less so but still enjoyed it). Carrie: I am reading The Light We Carry by Michelle Obama. ( A | BN | K | AB ) I don’t use audiobooks because they make me fall asleep but I wish I had this on audiobook because I think her conversational style would work better for me in that format. That being said I’m enjoying it! Claudia: I’m in the middle of blah season unfortunately!! I miss good-book tingles. A | BN | KShana: I just started The Portrait of a Duchess by Scarlett Peckham. Has anyone else read it? Claudia: I have!! EllenM: I preordered it but I haven’t started it yet! Shana: I can’t wait to discuss with you Ellen! Sarah: Shana, what do you think so far? Shana: I’m devouring it, but I’m not sure I love the characters yet. We’ll see! I’m not sure what I think of the big age difference between them. Susan: I’ve just started Thousand Autumns by Meng Xi Shi, ( A | BN ) and like twelve pages in the protagonist is channelling “I can make him worse” energy Shana: I also just finished How to Keep House While Drowning by KC Davis. ( A | BN | K ) I can’t remember if one of you recommended it, but I loved how it encourages self-compassion and life hacks instead of shaming yourself into organizing your home. So, whatcha reading? Let us know in the comments! View the full article

The transcript for Podcast 555. Fashion and the State of Blogging with The Fug Girls has been posted! This podcast transcript was handcrafted with meticulous skill by Garlic Knitter. Many thanks. ❤ Click here to subscribe to The Podcast → View the full article

The New York Write to Pitch event was intense and for good reason. I met industry professionals who were serious about their job and fellow writers who were just as passionate as I am to see our stories succeed. Some of the industry feedback was a tough pill to swallow as a young/new writer, but by the end of the event, I felt at home with the other writers in my group (and some in Paula's!) and especially with Michael, our workshop leader who was dedicated to making our writing future as bright as possible. I have no doubt that for every writer here, NYWP was our first step to a writing career/publishing deal.

It’s Fantasy Suites night on The Bachelor. Cheers to my friend Jen who is here and said, “Wait, there are 27 fucking seasons of this show?!” Indeed. Lady Pudding is currently not talking to me as she has to briefly wear the cone of shame (she’s fine, it’s so she doesn’t lick a topical med off her fur). Sleep with one eye open, mother. We’re in Thailand, BTW. Not Pudding and me, the people on this show. Jesse reminds us that on The Bachelorette it was the Fantasy Suite night that made Zach decide to quit the show. He had a really weird reaction and felt like Rachel was being fake and felt like something was off. My guess? There was potentially an ounce of conflict and he bailed, as is his MO. Then Zach drops the bombshell that there’s not going to be “any sex of any kind” during the Fantasy Suite dates. Jen just looked over at me and rolled her eyes. Jen: “He’s just very… he’s very white bread, milk is spicy… It just…” Yup. “I gotta ask you man, this is just us talking,” Jesse asks IN FRONT OF THE CAMERA AND CREW, “Are you gonna be able to pull this off? It’s gonna be hard.” Zach says he doesn’t imagine that’s how a healthy engagement should start. With sex? Okay. THEN HE TAKES ANOTHER FUCKING SHOWER. Click for Zach Then Ariel, who has the first date, says that being physical with someone is an important part of a relationship for her and she’s looking forward to the overnight date. Well, that should go great. Pudding: He’s going to totally have sex with one of them and cry about it later. Probably in the shower. Click for Zach...probably So he and Ariel go to a night market and do that enraging thing where they eat “gross” food from another culture, in this case cooked insects. They order “the grossest one.” This is so disrespectful. Zach keeps telling the camera how hot his chemistry is with Ariel. At one point they kiss and this woman who gloriously does not give a fuck, just walks into the shot to get a video of a fire eater. During dinner Ariel tells Zach she’s falling in love with him and his eyes get huge but in a not great way. Then he tells Ariel “sex is off the table” with regard to the Fantasy Suite. He says there’s only going to be one person at the end of this, and sex should be with them only. She tells the camera she’s disappointed. The next day he goes on his date with Gabi. She meets Zach on the beach and they have a discussion as to whether or not they’re sweaty. They go to a private island where they drink champagne on the beach. Gabi tells him she feels like she got into her head after spending ten days apart from Zach. Pudding: That sounds like a lovely reprieve. Zach tells her not to feel that way and it gets tense. Eventually she walks away and starts crying and says she feels “stupid and foolish and ugly. I don’t feel like I can even go back there.” I…okay. That ramped up quickly. She says her last boyfriend cheated on her, and she felt again like she’s coming second. “I’m so overtired,” she says tearfully. Okay, things are making more sense now. I get really emotional when I’m exhausted, too. During dinner, Gabi tells him she’s falling in love with him. Zach lets her know about the no sex thing. She looks skeptical or maybe rejected. Gabi says she doesn’t see herself being engaged to someone she’s never had sex with, but that they’ll “work on it.” “It’ll be great,” she sighs. “I can’t wait for him to see my skincare routine.” Cut to the next morning and the two of them are cuddling in bed. Back his hotel, Zach says the whole night was passionate and special, but that something unexpected happened and now he feels like he has a secret. Pudding: CALLED IT. So then Jesse comes over for bro time and Zach tells him that he had sex with Gabi. It is so awkward. It feels like he’s confessing to a parental figure, and they’re the same age. “Do you want to tell the other women what happened?” Jesse asks. Zach says they need to know. Then he says, “This was an act of love, not lust.” The next shot is Kaity getting ready for her date and Zach walking up a pathway. But surprise! When he knocks on the hotel door, it’s Gabi! He tells her that he wants to tell the other women they were intimate because he doesn’t want to have secrets. He literally cannot say the word “sex.” Gabi says she didn’t think it bothered him that much and is clearly caught off guard. She tells the camera that she feels like it was between them and now it’s between them and everyone else. Jen: Ma’am, you are on a televised show. Then Zach tells her he’s falling in love with her. So then it is time for Kaity’s date. They go kayaking in a clear boat. So after they randomly make out in a rain shower, Zach super awkwardly tells Kaity about how he made the no sex rule and broke it. Kaity says that she knew there would be the potential for him to be sleeping with the other women, but she could have gone without him telling her about it. “I’m not happy so I’m not going to pretend I’m happy,” she says. “It’s weird.” He says he’s sorry and she says, “Well you’re not sorry you did it.” She asks the camera how he expected her to feel. She says, “I wasn’t going to give him a high five like, way to go, pal.” He tries to hug her and she says, “It’s real weird, Zach.” He says he doesn’t want them to get engaged and her to be blindsided. Then she tells him that she already knew the gist of the week and she doesn’t care to hear about whether or not he slept with someone else. Kaity tells a PA she doesn’t think she can go into tonight when she’s so unhappy and that she just wants to go home. Kaity eventually does show up to dinner, although she doesn’t look thrilled. She says that the day was a step back, but she feels confident they can get through it. Click for me Eventually they go to the Fantasy Suite. The next day is the Dreaded Rose Ceremony. Gabi says she doesn’t know if she wants a rose because she feels like Zach broke her trust by sharing that he slept with her. In the end Gabi does accept a rose and so does Kaity. As Zach is walking Ariel out, Kaity says to Gabi, “I know you were the only one.” “I feel like I’m wearing a scarlet A on my chest,” says Gabi. “Oh my God, no. Don’t do that,” Kaity says. Zach comes back and they all do an uncomfortable champagne toast. Are you watching? View the full article

My Fair Concubine My Fair Concubine by Jeannie Lin is $1.99! This is a historical “My Fair Lady” style romance – set in the Tang Dynasty in China. Readers loved the retelling and the depth of characterization. However, some readers mentioned that the story dragged at time due to the lack of external conflict. THE NOBLEMAN WHO TURNED A TEA GIRL INTO A PRINCESS… Yan Ling tries hard to be servile-it’s what’s expected of a girl of her class. Being intelligent and strong-minded, she finds it a constant battle. Proud Fei Long is unimpressed by her spirit-until he realizes she’s the answer to his problems. He has to deliver the emperor a “princess.” In two months can he train a tea girl to pass as a noblewoman? Yet it’s hard to teach good etiquette when all Fei Long wants to do is break it, by taking this tea girl for his own… Add to Goodreads To-Read List → You can find ordering info for this book here. My Sweet Folly My Sweet Folly by Laura Kinsale is $1.99! This book sounds absolutely bananas. Readers really loved the heroine and how witty she was. However, given the bananas quality of the book, some said the pacing is a bit all over the place. Have you read this one? An innocent long-distance correspondence leads to complications in this Regency romance by the New York Times–bestselling author of For My Lady’s Heart. Married to an elderly man, Folie Hamilton finds her lonely days brightened by light-hearted letters from her husband’s cousin, Lt. Robert Cambourne, stationed in Calcutta for the British East India Company. Robert calls her his princess, and she dubs him her knight errant. Unbidden love blossoms, yet upon the death of her husband, Robert’s last letter shatters her heart with three words: I am married. Four years later, Robert summons Folie and her stepdaughter to his estate in England. The girl is his ward, so they must go. The man who greets them, however, is nothing like the charming lieutenant of his letters. This Robert is demented. Screaming at ghosts in demonic rage, he is paranoid and frightening. Yet her body longs to caress his perfect features, to hold his tall, angular body, to find the man who once captured her heart . . . Someone is poisoning him, spinning his brain into madness, of that Robert is sure, but who—and why? Haunted by his dead wife, the one thing his tortured mind understands is that he must keep Folie safe. Folie, with her beautiful expressive eyes, the only warmth in his nightmare world . . . Nominated for a RITA award, My Sweet Folly is another unforgettable love story filled with passion and suspense from the author of Flowers From the Storm, whose work has been praised by Julia Quinn as “unfailingly brilliant and beautiful.” Add to Goodreads To-Read List → You can find ordering info for this book here. The Fire in the Glass The Fire in the Glass by Jacquelyn Benson is 99c! Previously, we featured Benson’s more action/adventure title and people in the comments also mentioned how much they loved this one. It’s more of a paranormal historical or historical fantasy with a medium main character. London, 1914. Someone is draining the blood of the city’s mediums. Lily Albright knows who’s next. The unacknowledged bastard daughter of the Earl of Torrington, Lily is haunted by visions of the future that she can never change. When she foresees the death of her dearest friend, she realizes the circumstances of that yet-to-be murder match those of a series of brutal and mysterious crimes. If she can find the killer before he strikes, maybe this time she can finally thwart fate and save someone she loves. As Lily’s investigation takes her to a bedchamber where one of society’s most desirable widows lies dead, she realizes she can’t do this alone. She needs help from the reclusive Lord Strangford, a man haunted by his own unusual powers. To pursue the path of a killer, Lily must ask Strangford to face unimaginable horrors – and is compelled to reveal her darkest secrets to a man she has little reason to trust. Somewhere in the city lies a murderer hell-bent on an unspeakable harvest, one that could reshape the future of the human race. To stop him, Lily must face a past rife with betrayal—and embrace the power she has spent her entire life trying to escape. Add to Goodreads To-Read List → You can find ordering info for this book here. Good Girl Good Girl by Jana Aston is FREE! Can I just say that I hate first POV book descriptions, because they rarely tell me enough about the book? What I can gather from this one is this is a workplace, forbidden romance. I’ve always been a good girl. I work hard, I follow the rules, I always achieve my goals. But sometimes good girls want things that aren’t good for them. Or someone who isn’t good for them. Like their new boss. And sometimes they do very bad things to get his attention. Like sell their virginity in an auction. Who knew he’d be so very, very mad? Maybe this was not my best laid plan… Add to Goodreads To-Read List → You can find ordering info for this book here. View the full article

Kusudama cherry blossom. Courtesy of praaeew, CC0, via Wikimedia Commons. As I get older, and the world gets worse, or gets differently bad, or stays the same but my understanding of its badness deepens and broadens, I grow ever more dependent upon books like Akwugo Emejulu’s Fugitive Feminism. This short, sharp text reminds readers that, like the rattling door in a haunted house or the concerned face of a friend who understands well the way a lover is slowly bringing about your annihilation, it is good to leave that which does not serve you. Fleeing, as in the case of the enslaved from the plantation, is no act of cowardice but a tremendous gesture toward liberation. The flight Emejulu encourages is not from a place but from a conceptual space. Referencing the work of Black critical theorists like Sylvia Wynter, Fugitive Feminism troubles the notion of the “human,” arguing that it is not a neutral, objective term for one type of mammal but a philosophical and political category informed by colonialism that, from its invention, excluded Blackness and Black people. For years, many have fought (to no avail) to be, for once, called and acted upon as humans, but for Emejulu, there is nothing to be reclaimed in that cursed white supremacist taxonomy. When we stop seeking inclusion into a category built on genocide and eugenics, there is freedom to explore other ways of being, seeing, and doing. Emejulu’s writing is clear, evocative, and concise, and while readers with no background in the subject material may find places where they need to spend more time, Fugitive Feminism is an extraordinarily accessible text that will touch many of those left behind by society without sacrificing complexity and critical rigor. —Rivers Solomon, author of “This Is Everything There Will Ever Be” A few Januaries ago, I spent a week in Sheringham, a coastal town in Norfolk, England. The friend who’d invited me said that in the summer, the town swells by thousands as pleasure-seekers descend. In the winter, it is cold, rainy, pleasantly desolate. Perfect for writing, which is what we were there for. I’d decided to use the time to write a short story, something I hadn’t done since childhood. When I don’t know how to do something, I research, so I’d been reading many short stories, new and not so new, by Emma Cline, Shirley Hazzard, Gina Berriault, Deborah Eisenberg, Lucia Berlin, Grace Paley, Tillie Olsen, and Yiyun Li. For that week, I brought with me Sylvia Townsend Warner’s selected stories. On the train from London, I read “Oxenhope,” first published in 1966. I’d read it before and liked it. This time it settled on me like an atmosphere. As did Sheringham, when I arrived, with its crash of waves against the seawall on nighttime walks, its empty arcades, and its signs advertising candy floss. Before we arrived, a cliff had crumbled into the sea, taking with it a holiday cottage. (We had to imagine the collapse; we could see only land’s unspectacular absence.) In “Oxenhope,” a sixty-four-year-old man named William returns to the rural Scottish village where he spent a transformative month at seventeen, when, overstudied and exhausted, he’d suffered what he calls a “brain-mauling.” He’d been on a disastrous walking tour when a family of farmers saved him from a storm and insisted he stay. The dailiness of Oxenhope restored him. After departing, he’d undertaken the life he was supposed to have: university, good career, marriage, et cetera. Decades later, though, he feels “like a castaway on the remainder of what life was left to him.” So he returns to Oxenhope. Townsend Warner captures the intricacies of coming back to a place that once changed you, carrying with you all the changes that have happened since. Such a return forces the resisted, unavoidable concession “that the past was draining away out of the present, that Oxenhope, lovely as ever, was irrecoverable … He had grasped at the substance, and the lovely shadow was lost.” As he leaves Oxenhope for the second time, the past unexpectedly comes charging into the present: a young boy shares a bit of local lore, not knowing that the tale features the teenage William. Being a story, having “tenancy in legend,” consoles him. Narrative redeems the fact that the past is uninhabitable. The story I wrote that week in Sheringham—which appears in the Review‘s Spring issue—does not resemble “Oxenhope,” except, perhaps, in its attention to what is said and what it’s possible to say, and to the force that narrative exerts on the future, not just on the past. —Elisa Gonzalez, author of “Sanctuary” Recently I watched Klostės (Folds/Pleats), a black-and-white stop-motion art film directed by the Irish artist Aideen Barry and based on the stories and myths of Kaunas, Lithuania. The film brings together hundreds of local writers, dancers, musicians, and artists in an ambitious collaboration that explores the histories of the city and its interwar architecture. Barry, influenced by her early exposure to Russian, Czech, and Lithuanian stop-motion film on eighties Irish television, revels in the surreal. From the opening shot, a kaleidoscope of abstract, origamiesque pleats of black paper, the film masterfully folds stories upon stories into a dizzying, nonverbal world where colorful characters and the architecture of the city collide. A woman walks into a restaurant; shortly after she orders from the menu, a cake assembles itself in the shape of a building, right by her table. From there we are swept into the magic of Kaunas. In Klostės, Barry suggests that we can reimagine a postcapitalist world, and the citizen as artist in it. —Elaine Feeney, author of “Same, Same” View the full article

Locked-room mysteries are the type of mystery in which a crime looks impossible. (Not to be confused with a “closed circle” mystery, in which the characters are stranded in an isolated setting.) Why are these mysteries appealing to so many readers? I’ve been a fan of locked-room mysteries for decades, and more recently I’ve become an author in the genre. Here are the three reasons why it’s such an enticing type of mystery. First, you know you’re getting a “fair play” puzzle. Many mysteries include clues that are fairly presented, but readers don’t always know which of the many terrific mystery novels they’re picking up includes a puzzle as part of story. In a locked-room mystery, fair-play clues are necessary. Therefore, when a novel or short story is a locked-room mystery, you can be certain that there’s a mystery puzzle you can solve. Clues will be deviously hidden, certainly. But they’re there. The solution of an impossible crime would be no fun if you weren’t given all the clues, so fairly presented information is a necessary element. It’s even more fun not to guess properly, in my opinion, and instead be delightfully surprised at the end. Second, it’s not just any puzzle, but the ultimate puzzle. Because there’s no logical way for the crime to have been committed—be it jewels that disappeared from a guarded safe or a person fatally stabbed with nobody close enough to have done so—it’s not only a whodunnit, but also a howdunnit. Fans of the genre may argue about whether there are any truly new ideas for how to pull off an impossible crime, but one thing is clear: authors continue to come up with ingenious ways to play with existing ideas and hide the truth in plain sight. Locked-room mystery writers continue to engage and surprise us with new twists to these puzzles. Third, you’re likely to find a ghostly atmosphere as the backdrop. If readers wanted only a puzzle, they could pick up a crossword puzzle or other game. Many locked-room mystery enthusiasts appreciate other types of puzzles, as I do, but what elevates this written form of puzzle is the feeling a story can evoke. It’s so much more than a cerebral puzzle. In most locked-room mysteries, you’ll find a ghostly, Gothic atmosphere that permeates the story. Therefore, you’re not only getting a twisty whodunnit and a baffling howdunnit, but also a good ghost story. Yes, there must be a rational explanation at the end, but along the way, you get swept up in the spooky atmosphere that provides an added layer of depth and mysterious fun. John Dickson Carr, widely accepted as the master of the genre, expertly wove macabre elements into his books and stories, making it appear that only a supernatural hand could have caused the criminal events—until the solution reveals a rational explanation, usually revealed quite dramatically by one of Carr’s larger-than-life sleuths. Where to start with locked-room mysteries? I wrote a locked-room mystery starter guide for CrimeReads in 2019, which included terminology and a starter list of books and stories from both the Golden Age of detective fiction (including John Dickson Carr, Clayton Rawson, Ellery Queen, and Agatha Christie) and current authors (including Paul Halter and Sōji Shimada). I’m so pleased that in the few years since I wrote that feature, locked-room mysteries have become even more popular with both readers and writers. Recently, I was especially impressed by Tom Mead’s debut novel Death and the Conjuror, as well as newly translated Japanese novels by Seishi Yokomizo that are now being made available to an English-language audience. My new locked-room mystery, The Raven Thief, plays with traditional elements of the genre, including hints of the supernatural when a séance leads to murder. I’m enjoying paying homage to the locked-room mysteries from the Golden Age of detective fiction—but putting my own spin on the genre. Atmosphere and characters are just as important as the puzzle to me, so I set the stage with home renovation company Secret Staircase Construction that builds magical elements like sliding bookcases and hidden rooms into peoples’ homes. I make sure the clues to solve the mystery are fairly presented, but I hope readers will get swept up in the story and enjoy a surprise when former stage illusionist sleuth Tempest Raj reveals the solution. One murder. Four impossibilities. A fake séance hides a very real crime. I owe a great debt to the ingenious locked-room mystery writers—past and present and from around the world—who’ve given me countless hours of entertainment and inspired me to contribute to the genre. *** View the full article

Perhaps love is in the air. Or maybe it’s a rush to reclaim control as a new normal gradually emerges from the global pandemic. Whatever the reason, my partner and I have, after a lengthy gap, been invited to not one, but three weddings. And these are not modest gatherings either, but true destination weddings in exotic locales, the kind you see in movies. They will not be rushed potluck affairs held in the backyard of a distant cousin (not that those can’t be lovely too). With a bit of budgetary juggling, we plan to attend them all. It is, after all, a blessing to celebrate with loved ones. It’s also an opportunity to meet new people and explore distant lands. As the first approaches, I’ve found myself pondering the whole endeavor. I think of the planning that goes into such events and the stresses that accompany even joyful occasions. Lately I’ve also been dissecting the ways “big events” fit into some of my favorite stories, and my own writings. I now notice when they appear in shows, noting how such scenes alter the narrative, even when tangential to primary or even secondary plotlines. Events like weddings, holidays, reunions, retirements, and funerals are a part of life and so it is only natural they should appear in our tales. Some may appear in your work in progress right now. If there isn’t one, I am not advocating you plop a random celebration into your story. In a publishing world that demands killing your darlings, I would never suggest adding filler. Then again, entire libraries could be devoted only to stories centered around life’s festivities. Jane Austen novels might well be reduced to a stream of letters and diary entries if not for village balls and the occasional nuptials. These days, Hallmark devotes an entire season to stories of offspring returning home or flung to the wilds for some sugary holiday confection and ultimate enlightenment. People gobble them up like cookies, as do I. But that is not what I’m talking about today. Instead, my premise is simple – it may prove wise to give extra scrutiny to milestone events already present in your narrative, for such occasions provide fertile ground to strengthen your story. Let’s explore a few avenues for kicking your writing up a notch when it comes to the “big event” in your tale. Revealing Character Nothing highlights character more than an unrelenting spotlight. An event in your story can serve that purpose. Perhaps your shy protagonist is corralled into giving a speech at a milestone birthday of an aging parent, the one with which he’s never seen eye to eye. Perhaps your hero is marrying, and all eyes will be on her regardless of how much she prefers the shadows. Scenes like these provide an opportunity to delve into your characters, exploring their motivations and deepest fears. Chance encounters at events can also provide a natural entry point for crucial backstory, evoking past heartbreaks, unrequited loves, or long-simmering rivalries. Use the unique situation to help readers understand idiosyncrasies in your character’s personality, uncovering the roots of their sagging confidence or the source of their unvanquished optimism. Think of the event as a fresh stage set, filled with new and possibly one-off actors. Step back and think of ways to mix things up. For just a few pages you can look at your characters, and have your readers see the characters, in a fresh light. Take advantage of that opportunity. Show them something new, exposing a deeper vein. Developing Relationships In my youth, Judith Guest’s novel Ordinary People was one of my favorite reads. When the movie came out, I was impressed at how closely the screen play echoed the book, incorporating at times entire pages of dialog, word for word. But a key scene added to the movie has stuck with me for years. The scene takes place during a Christmas family visit. Beth Jarrett, the emotionally distant mother of the protagonist, has broken a plate following a cringeworthy argument that erupts during the taking of a family photo. Her mother enters the room, and the two speak. The delicate dance of a conversation, clipped and understated, reveals so much. In just a few lines one gains an invaluable glimpse into how Beth became brittle, so determined to maintain appearances that smoothing the edges – “fixing the break” as she describes it – became more important than offering genuine affection, even as trauma threatens to destroy her family. The resulting scene is a brilliant addition to the already exceptional drama of the source material. Events in stories open a path for insights like this. Even lone heroes have families; and a funeral can bring them into the story, if only briefly. Longtime friendships can be shown from a different angle. If your story is a romance, a family reunion provides innumerable opportunities for the new couple to bond or introduce rough seas for them to navigate. Let your imagination guide your hand. Pantsers are old pros at this type of improvisation, but even strict plotters may find something of value in the scribbled margins. Surprising the Reader The element of surprise, in fact, may be the real benefit from this writerly exercise. In addition to character reveals mentioned previously, what better time to expose a juicy tidbit of information or a jarring plot twist than during a chance encounter at a social event? A lot can happen when you bring characters into the same room, or ballroom, at the same time. Be sure to make use of the opportunity. You can engage readers on other levels of surprise as well. Perhaps the occasion provides a moment of levity, or at least respite, during an otherwise taut thriller. Or maybe you can add a dash of poignancy to an otherwise raucous comedy. Remember, the events are already there in our stories. It is up to us, as writers, to tease them out to their full potential, creating more compelling tales for our readers. Those are my musings, which barely scratch the surface. What are your thoughts? How do you make the most of the milestone events and special occasions in your stories? Do you have examples of reveals or surprises from your own works or a favorite novel? In what other ways can “big events” be employed to elevate a story? I look forward to hearing your thoughts. [url={url}]View the full article[/url]

The CrimeReads editors select the month’s best debut novels in crime, mystery, and thrillers. * Vibhuti Jain, Our Best Intentions (William Morrow) The characters in Our Best Intentions are immigrants under the powerful sway of the American Dream. Babur Singh—call him Bobby—is a single dad who owns a rideshare business, Move with Bobby, which would also be a good name for a man with a van or a dance class. Bobby dotes on his daughter, Angie, and they live in a wealthy suburb where Angie never feels comfortable. When she stumbles on a body, a classmate named Chiara Thompson, on her way home from swim practice, the news rocks the town and sheds light on the issues of privilege and morality. Jain’s debut is an impressive feat, nuanced and unafraid to tackle some thorny issues. –LL Philip Ellis, Love and Other Scams (Putnam) Nothing brings two people together quite like desperation and a get-rich-quick scheme (I’m really hoping there’s some fan fiction that gets this going with The Sting.) In Philip Ellis’ utterly charming new novel, a down-on-her-luck graphic designer with a passion for pick-pocketing teams up with a handsome bartender with his own skills at purloining valuable objects after they discover a once-in-a-lifetime chance to steal an enormous diamond. –MO Nathan Oates, A Flaw in the Design (Random House) This book has a complex premise which includes many of the issues we are grappling with as a society. Gil, a respected creative writing professor (I’ve heard they exist but don’t think I’ve seen one in the wild), agrees to take in his nephew, Matthew, after Gil’s sister and her husband are killed in a car accident. Gil and his wife aren’t crazy about the idea of suddenly having a 17-year-old boy in their home and are discomfited about taking Matthew in as he behaved strangely (creepy strangely) with their young daughter. With the bitter taste of that incident still lingering, and Matthew writing detailed stories about his parents’ death and the potential death of Gil’s family, Gil must decide if he is going to try and stop his disturbed nephew before something dire happens. –LL Gerardo Sámano Córdova, Monstrilio (Zando) Part of a new wave of haunted house horror that continues to expand and redefine the genre, Monstrilio is about a woman who creates a monster from a piece of her dead son’s lung, feeding it bloody sacrifices as it grows into the image of her long-gone child. Her monstrilio is loved, cared for, and wholly monstrous. But are not the monsters among us also capable (and deserving) of love? Read this if you liked Sarah Gailey’s Just Like Home! -MO Jinwoo Chong, Flux (Melville House) Flux is full of surprises and difficult to describe. Three storylines slowly begin to converge into a tale of time-traveling corporate serial killers. Woven into all three stories is a connection to a 1980s detective show featuring a now-canceled star facing damning abuse allegations. If you like stories featuring neo-noir style, corporate corruption, and anything else that wouldn’t be out of place in a slightly more humorous version of the Blade Runner universe, then check this one out! Also notable as an exploration of queer and Asian-American identities. –MO Ren DeStafano, How I’ll Kill You (Berkeley) (adult fiction debut) DeStefano hits some high marks in How I’ll Kill You, a chronicle of three identical triplets who take turns at a very serious game. The sister at bat makes a man fall in love with her, murders him, and calls the other two sisters to help with the clean-up. So far, Sissy, the youngest, has always been on the cleanup crew. But as they hit Arizona the sisters decide it’s Sissy’s turn. Her mark is a widower named Edison (really? that’s a name now?), and as she works her love magic on him her sisters get restless and pressure her to finish the job so they can move on. But there is a complication: Sissy falls in love with Edison. Will her sisters finish her mission, and also do away with her? Or can she and Edison somehow escape and break the cycle? –LL View the full article

There’s nothing quite like a messed up student-teacher relationship when it comes to stirring up drama. First of all, it’s relatable. Most of us have been a student or a teacher at some point, so we understand the inherent dynamics. Even if we’ve never filled those roles officially, you’d have to be a serious loner not to have interacted with someone either as a mentor or a mentee. Second, it’s loaded. The desire to emulate someone we admire is fraught with tension, and the urge to mentor can be just as complicated. Mix some deep-seated parent/child pathos with the struggle to prove one’s self and…voila! You have an irresistible recipe for drama. Novelists, filmmakers, and playwrights have exploited this trope again and again. It’s a rich vein to tap, after all, rife with taboo and possibility. As a professor myself and the daughter of two teachers, I’ve long been fascinated by the nuances of student/teacher relationships; the more twisted and dysfunctional, the more they fascinate me. I explored just such a relationship in my first suspense novel, Watch Me. Apparently, the dynamic still has its hooks in me, because I’ve tackled it again in my latest novel, The Protégé. If you, like me, find dysfunctional mentors and problematic students captivating, this list is for you. Here are a few of my favorite examples from fiction, film, and theatre. ___________________________________ Fiction ___________________________________ Dare Me by Megan Abbott The inimitable Megan Abbott is one of my favorite authors, and Dare Me is her most addictive novel to date. In a small midwestern town, a high school cheerleading coach brings her own messy life to her role as teacher and mentor. Her students follow her with slavish admiration into a volatile world of shadows and secrets. Only Megan Abbott can make small town cheerleading feel this edgy and sinister. The Truants by Kate Weinberg Set at an obscure university in England, this beautifully written debut novel explores a group of students mesmerized by their charismatic professor. Our protagonist, Jess, has come to East Anglia University specifically to study with Dr. Lorna Clay, a scholar who has written extensively about Agatha Christie. As Jess becomes increasingly close with a tight circle of students in Dr. Clay’s orbit, love triangles, scandals, and raw betrayal provide her with an education more thorough than the one she signed up for. If you love the atmospheric density of Donna Tartt’s The Secret History, you’ll find much of the same pleasures here. The Likeness by Tana French I can’t create a list of favorite novels without including at least one by Tana French. The Likeness isn’t a campus novel, per se, unlike the others I’ve mentioned so far. It’s the second book in the Dublin Murder Squad series, though it holds its own as a stand-alone. The protagonist, Cassie Maddox, gets pulled back into her previous job as an undercover cop when her doppelganger is murdered. Her mentor, Frank, is a fascinating undercover detective who taught her everything she knows; later in the series Frank serves as the narrator of Faithful Place. His slippery morals and one-of-a-kind voice make him one of French’s most memorable characters. In spite of a deeply implausible central premise, this novel is complicated, lush, and (as always with French) linguistically delicious. ___________________________________ Film ___________________________________ All About Eve premiered in 1950, with Bette Davis as Margo Channing, an aging Broadway star, and Anne Baxter as Eve, her conniving young protégé. Eve manipulates her way into Margo’s world, first as an adoring fan, then as her personal secretary, before ultimately usurping her on the stage and screen. While the plotline of women pitted against women in a cutthroat industry may feel slightly dated, what may strike you on viewing it is not how much things have changed, but how disturbingly relevant those themes still feel seventy-odd years later. ___________________________________ Theatre ___________________________________ Oleanna by David Mamet This two-character play from the early 90s focuses on the power struggle between John, a male professor, and Carol, one of his female students. When Carol accuses John of sexual harassment, the vagueness about whether said harassment actually took place casts the play in a morally ambiguous light that is both its greatest strength and its greatest weakness. Mamet’s ear for messy, terse dialogue and complex characters gives the play a propulsive, can’t-look-away intensity. The Sound Inside by Adam Rapp Another two-person play, this time with genders reversed (a female professor and a male student), Adam Rapp’s script is heady and a little bleak, but totally worth the ride. It premiered in 2018, and later received an Audible Original production starring the original Broadway cast members, Marie-Louise Parker and Will Hochman. The Sound Inside tells the story of Bella Baird, a​ ​writer and Ivy League English professor who is dedicated to preserving her solitude and lives almost exclusively inside her own head. When a socially awkward and mysterious student attempts to connect with her, she finds herself letting him into her life under extraordinary circumstances. I’m terrified of spoilers here, so I won’t reveal any more about the plot, but observing these two odd, lonely, brilliant souls inch closer is both riveting and moving. *** View the full article

When I sat down at my desk and began to write the story that became my first published novel, Maisie Dobbs, I didn’t really have a distinct literary form in mind. I wasn’t thinking “mystery” and certainly wasn’t thinking “crime.” I had a story in my head about a young girl who makes a transition from one social class to another, and who has a life-changing experience of war that effectively removes any vestiges of youthful innocence. As she was now thirty-two, I had to give her a job, and within a few lines, I knew she was an investigator of sorts, one who had a deep sense of the human condition and psyche—the “soul.” As writing progressed, other characters entered to help bring her to life, revealing not only her strengths, but the places where she was scathed by experience and where she hurt. By the time I had a manuscript in my hand, I thought I’d wrien a coming of age/war story with a sort of underpinning of mystery, and for the sake of the cover letter I was sending unsolicited to a collection of agents gleaned from a directory, I described Maisie Dobbs as “cross genre.” And that doesn’t help most agents, publishers, publicists, or booksellers at all. NPR’s Maureen Corrigan described the novel as a “curious confection”—but lucky me, getting a review on Fresh Air! Later, in bookstores, I saw Maisie Dobbs shelved in several sections, including in one instance, “Anti War.” I loved it! However, the fact is that readers expecting a series of whodunits had come to the wrong place, because I am a proponent of the notion that a mystery does not have to include a crime—indeed, I’ve always viewed it as the archetypal journey through chaos to resolution. But that doesn’t help the PR pros to pitch a novel or indeed booksellers and librarians to shelve it—and it plays havoc with reviewers. Does this go to the Crime critic? The Historical Novel expert? Or the … well, fill in the gap. Within the literary form that we tag “mystery” you will read some of the finest fiction on the subject of the environment, the machinations of government, immigration, treatment of refugees, poverty, international conflict—and so many more subjects from writers who have done stellar homework or who are already experts in their field but have chosen fiction to touch upon universal truths rather than be restricted by hard-wired facts. Perhaps noted historian Simon Schama was onto something when he said in his series, The History of Now, “It’s not always politicians, but artists, musicians and writers who rouse us from indifference and become the true agents of change.” That works as long as we also remember that as novelists of whatever stripe, we are in the entertainment industry. Since I wrote Maisie Dobbs—which was published twenty years ago this year—I have noticed that more and more fiction crosses the boundaries of so called “genre” (a word I’m not fond of, especially when used by what I will call a literary snob)—but it seems so many in the publishing/book world haven’t quite grasped what has happened. Or perhaps it makes work that much harder if too many boxes have to be checked at a time when a significant number of books are hitting the publication list on a given date. I’ve read that Oprah will not read a mystery as mysteries do not meet her stringent literary standards. I wonder if that’s true, because I cannot imagine such narrow-mindedness in someone who promotes reading to a wide audience—and I don’t want to get into trouble on the grounds of quoting hearsay. Yet many booksellers are right there in this ever-changing game. As one bookseller told me, “In my estimation, they’re all novels, I don’t think of categories at all—I just want to find out whether something is worth recommending to my customers, based upon what I know they like and don’t like.” Fortunately, in the United States, the “Mystery” category is used more than “Crime” whereas the latter is true in the UK, which is limiting for authors and indeed readers. In one leading London bookstore, I discovered my novel, The Care and Management of Lies shelved under “Crime.” I pointed out that it was not crime, and not even a mystery, so it was in the wrong place. The bookseller asked where she should put it, and I said, “Well, general fiction, historical fiction, war fiction, literary fiction—maybe one copy in each.” There was a stunned silence before she said, “Sorry, I can only put it in one place, so I’d better leave it where it is.” So, if you’re ever interested in that book—a story of the Great War—you’re more likely to find it shelved in the Crime section, which explains why I received a few emails complaining that the novel was light on mystery! My latest novel, The White Lady isn’t a crime novel, though there is a little shop-lifting and dog-doping activity, plus there are a few nasty criminals in the story—and it is a thriller. More than anything, though, it is a war story and reflects what I feel in my heart about the plight of children caught in the crosshairs of war. But if war’s a crime—and I think it is—The White Lady is in exactly the right place if you’ve found it shelved under the Crime or Mystery banner. *** View the full article