A conversation with Jonathan F. Putnam

 I am delighted to host Jonathan F. Putnam today. I had the great pleasure of meeting Jonathan at Bouchercon in New Orleans last year where I snagged a signed copy of his first book. Since then, I’ve been a big fan of his Lincoln & Speed Mystery Series, perhaps because they feature places in and around where I grew up in Kentucky, Illinois and points farther afield. The Lincoln & Speed books feature the young Abraham Lincoln and his real-life best friend, Joshua Speed, as a kind of Holmes and Watson of the American frontier.  The series includes 2016’s These Honored Dead (starred review by Kirkus Reviews) and 2017’s Perish from the Earth.  The third book in the series, Final Resting Place, will be published next summer. Jonathan’s latest book is Perish from the Earth.  In Perish, Lincoln is faced with a fateful choice on which the future of the nation may hang, if his own client doesn’t hang first.  Lincoln and Speed must work together to free Lincoln’s client and ensure that justice prevails. And you don’t need to trust my judgment. MyShelf.com wrote of Perish: “One of the best books I have read in a long time. I can’t recommend it highly enough. If you are either a mystery buff or a history buff, this book is for you. If you happen to be both, I’m certain you will be captivated by its raw and honest look at this part of American history and by the beauty of the language used to portray the people, both real and imaginary.”  Enough background, let’s hear from Jonathan. Historical fiction, particularly a series that features a well-known character, relies on accuracy. What role do primary sources play in your research? Or are secondary sources adequate? JFP: My books are the product of substantial original historical research.  I’ve visited the locations where my books are set; read lots of documents from Lincoln’s real-life legal cases; read innumerable first-person accounts from the 19th century about Lincoln; read the substantial extant correspondence between Lincoln and Speed and other members of Speed’s family, and conducted additional original research on Speed, who is a much less well known figure in history. One set of sources in particular that I’ve mined are contemporaneous travel diaries.  Westerners at the time, like Lincoln and Speed, were mostly concerned with survival.  Life on the frontier was hard.  They tended not to write down a lot about their everyday lives.  But lots of Easterners and Europeans traveled to the Mississippi River Valley to see first-hand what was then the “Wild West”.  It was sort of the European Grand Tour in reverse.  Many of these travelers kept diaries, and I’ve tracked a lot of them down.  They provide an unmatched record of the details of daily life on the frontier in the 1830s, and I’ve relied on them to create in my books what I think is a very realistic portrait of Lincoln & Speed’s life and times. TdeH: I remember having a conversation with you at Bouchercon about word choice and how it is a fine line between writing for a 21st century audience and maintaining accuracy in the historical context. JFP: The travel diaries and other 19th century primary sources also help make my books sound like they were written in the period.  Speed is my first-person narrator, and he tells the reader the story with a real immediacy – as it’s happening to him and around him.  To make the reading experience fully immersive, I need to make sure the vocabulary, metaphors, etc. Speed uses in telling the story are ones that would have been available to a storyteller in the 1830s. At the same time, I’m always aware that readers are reading my books in the 2010s.  So I try to make them accessible and easy to read, though with enough of an antique patina that you can imagine taking a trip back in time with me and Speed. TdeH: How much research did you do to set the series versus what you do to continue with the various books? JFP: By the time I published my first Lincoln & Speed book I had done a ton of research on the two protagonists and their life and times.  That research is in the bank, so to speak, and I continue to draw upon it.  But I also do original research for each new book.  For example, Perish from the Earth, my most recent book, is set along the Mississippi River, in Alton, IL, St. Louis, and on-board steamboats.  For the book, I traveled to Alton and St. Louis to see first-hand the places where my scenes were going to be set, as well as rode up and down the Mississippi on a steamboat. TdeH: I’ll interrupt here and say that I was born in Cape Girardeau, Missouri and love reading anything set on that river! But you are talking about points farther north from my part of ‘the cape.’ JFP: I was actually going to set a scene in Cape Girardeau, but I kept misspelling it in the draft manuscript and finally decided it was too much trouble.  Kidding. Seriously, during my visit to Alton, I discovered an unexpected piece of Lincoln history: the actual two-story brick building, perched on a hillside overlooking the river, in which Lincoln tried cases when he came to Alton.  In Lincoln’s time it was the shipping office of a Captain Ryder, who loaned his building to the judge whenever the court came to town.  Today it’s a popular lunch spot called “My Just Desserts”.  Ann, the owner of the restaurant, sat down at my table amidst the lunch rush and told me all about the history of the place.  She couldn’t have been nicer.  If you’re ever in Alton, I recommend the All-Star Sandwich.  And a slice of Peanut Butter Pie if you saved room for dessert. TdeH: Restaurant advice duly noted. Any advice to authors of historical fiction about trimming the amazing facts you’ve learned and keeping only some? JFP: I was a trial lawyer for two decades before I became a writer.  “Libel law” covers false and defamatory statements that one person makes about another.  In libel law there’s a well-known saying that ‘the truth is a defense’ – in other words, if you say or print something nasty or derogatory about someone, if you prove that the statement is true that’s a complete defense to any claim against you, even if publication of the statement is hurtful, etc. In the course of writing my historical fiction I’ve come up with a related catechism, which I remind myself and other writers of frequently: ‘the truth is not a defense.’ In other words, just because something actually did happen in real life isn’t a good reason to include it in a historical fiction story.  In my view, the history you use needs to serve your narrative.  If the actual history gets in the way of the narrative, then you need to change to the narrative, or alter the actual history just enough to make the story work. TdeH: Excellent advice! And a reminder that whether it is historical or contemporary fiction writing is about distilling and editing. Related to this, how do you play with historical fact? Is it an inevitable part of translating the time into fiction? JFP: For the two characters at the core of my story, Lincoln and Speed, I stay completely true to their actual biographies.  In real life, the two men shared a room – and, indeed, a bed – in Springfield, IL during the period when my books are set.  Lincoln worked as a lawyer and served in the state legislature, while Speed ran a general store.  As accurately as I can portray them, my characters Lincoln and Speed are identical to the actual Lincoln and Speed of the time period in question.  My books also have a number of other well-known historical figures portrayed true to their actual selves.   For example, Robert E. Lee makes a cameo appearance in Perish.  Lincoln and Speed encounter Lee in St. Louis in November 1837 while he’s working on fixing a problem with the city’s river port, which is exactly where and what Lee was doing in November 1837. As I get further away from well-known historical figures, I feel more comfortable allowing myself degrees of imaginative freedom.  For example, one of the main supporting characters in my books is Speed’s younger sister Martha.  In my series, Martha lives in Springfield near Lincoln and Speed, and she is kind of a spunky younger sister who helps out in the crime-solving, while giving her older brother a suitably hard time.  Her presence as an independent-minded young woman in the narrative also lets me raise what I think are very interesting questions about what women were and were not allowed to do at the time. In real-life, Speed did have a younger sister named Martha, although I’ve made my Martha a few years older.  But virtually nothing is known to history about the real Martha Speed – and I would know, because I’ve researched her exhaustively, tracking down census records, old family histories and the like.  So other than the name, approximate age, and younger sister relationship to Speed, the Martha character is entirely my creation.  A lot of people tell me she’s their favorite character in the books. TdeH: Now when I say that Martha is my favorite character you won’t believe me. JFP:  No, I do believe you.  Really. TdeH:  Jonathan, we’ve appreciated having you spend time with MissDemeanors today. I’ve enjoyed reading These Honored Dead and Perish from the Earth and will click on the Amazon link now to pre-order next summer’s Final Resting Place. Hopefully Martha continues to play a role.  For more about Jonathan and the Lincoln & Speed mysteries visit jonathanfputnam.com or follow him on Facebook at Jonathan F. Putnam, or on Twitter @Speed_Lincoln

Read more

A Brush with Evil

Recently I was reading a very disturbing book by Harold Schechter about a man he described as “America’s most fiendish murderer.” This man did a number of really terrible things in New York City in the 1920s, but I was surprised to discover, at the end of the book, that he committed most of his atrocities in an old house in a small village in the Hudson Valley. In my very own village! He killed people not five minutes away from where I live and if that’s not horrifying enough, he threw his weapons into the woods. Most of them have been discovered, but there is still an ax out there in the woods where I walk. Of course all this happened long before I came on the scene, and yet I found it changed the way I viewed my peaceable woods. That led me to ask my fellow Miss Demeanors: Have you ever had a brush with evil?    And this is what they said: Paula: Great story, Susan. From my research for my mystery there are some 40,000 remains scattered across the woods and fields of this country, and those are just the ones we know about…. For my story, I must go back to my childhood in Germany in the late Sixties, where my Army father was stationed and our family lived outside the city of Mainz. I loved taking my little poodle on the trolley into town, where I would wander around and buy African violets and trinkets and visit the statue of Gutenberg. I was about 10 years old, a friendly blue-eyed blonde girl who spoke enough German to comport myself fairly well as the little ambassador  my parents told me I was supposed to be. But when an old man on the trolley cornered me and started lecturing me on the glories of the Nazis, I got very, very scared. No one else on the trolley stepped forward to help me, so I got off the trolley with my dog and ran away from the old man. When I felt it was safe to go back, I got back on the trolley with my dog and went home and I never ventured into the city alone again.  Tracee:  Paula, that really made me sad. How terrible for him to have destroyed such a simple pleasure (plus they lost a great little ambassador!) On to the Q:I grew up in a house built in 1822, which is old for western Kentucky, and my father liked to tell stories of people (generic people) who would have lived and died there. For example it was used as a hospital in the Civil War and apparently he thought that talking about that…. and how soldiers would have been treated and perhaps died ‘right there in our bedrooms!’ was a good bedtime story.My mother put a stop to that. To be fair we weren’t scared and thought it was pretty interesting. Years and years later, in fact recently, my dad came downstairs one morning and said he had a terrible and vivid dream about a baby named Dot who was dead. He shared details of the dream (many of which I don’t remember) but she had died in the house. Later that week my sister was going through a box of photographs that she’d uncovered and found a very old photo with a large family seated in front of the house (truly early photography) and on the back were their names including that of Dorothy, “Baby Dot” and it was noted she died right after the photo was taken. My dad was a little shaken and it was actually all very strange. We weren’t familiar with those photographs, they were a collection given to us by a local historian. For a few days we were all on edge, but it really didn’t change the house for us. I’d like to think that the house has a memory and that we share it. (Although mention Baby Dot at any time and we will all get a little pale.)  Robin: I’ve had to deal with living human evil personally and professionally quite a bit so I’ll tell a fun story instead. My parents had close friends that lived in one of the original Craftsman houses in the Oakland Hills in the SF Bay Area at a time when my family lived out of state. We went to stay with the couple for a weekend visit when I was probably around 8 or 9 years old. The husband told my brother and I to expect to hear or see strange things but not to worry about it. He said the house was haunted by the man who owned the house first who died in the master bedroom. The man didn’t like kids for some reason so his ghost tried to scare any kids that came over. We thought he was joking until all of the adults went outside. My brother and I were at a table in the kitchen eating a snack. One side of the room had windows facing a deck that had a spectacular view of San Francisco, the other end opened into a hallway with stairs to the left that led up to the bedrooms, living room to the right. While we sat at the table we could see our parents and their friends on the deck while we heard the stairs creak inside the house. The creaking grew in intensity until it sounded like someone stomping up and down the stairs. I was ready to run outside to the safety of the adults but my brother wanted to stay in the kitchen to see if anything else would happen. He’s a year older than me so, of course, I listened to him. I guess the ghost decided to step it up a notch. A few minutes after the stomping stopped, the cabinet doors in the kitchen started swinging open and closed. A few times they slammed so hard it got the attention of the adults outside. They came in to see what was going on and all the spooky stuff stopped. My brother and I babbled about what happened and my parents’ friends said, “The ghost is just trying to scare you into leaving. But don’t worry, he can’t hurt you.” Then all the adults had a good laugh. I don’t think my dad believed any of it until that evening when his friends made dinner. Drawers opened by themselves if my brother or I were in the room. The couple who lived there just closed the drawers and continued about their business as if it wasn’t unusual. I stayed close to the grown-ups for the rest of the weekend. Alexia: I’ve had four, fortunately brief, brushes with pure evil (as opposed to merely not particularly nice). 1. I worked as a nurse’s aide at a rehab center as part of a summer program for pre-med students. I lived in the on campus dorm. We were within walking distance of a shopping mall and I didn’t have a car. The rehab center was in a safe, suburban area so some Saturdays I’d make the short walk to the mall by myself. Usually, uneventful. One time, as I walked past the bus stop a well-dressed, older (mid-50s) man got out of his sports car and politely asked me if I needed a ride anywhere. Middle of the day, suburban bus stop, guy’s waiting for a random woman to come by so he could offer her a ride. Not waiting for someone in particular, not in an urban area, not after dark, not in an area “frequented by known prostitutes”. My animal brain’s assessment: serial rapist/killer until proven otherwise. I said, just as politely, ” No, thank you,” quickened my pace, and made careful note of his polo shirt and khakis so I could give a description to the police if any women turned up missing. 2. I opened my door to a magazine salesman (one of the twenty-somethings who work for those shady programs where they go door-to-door in the summer and try to sell you overpriced subscriptions to magazines nobody reads). I could practically read his mind as he considered if he was going to try to get more from me than a subscription. Fortunately, he was with a partner who was bored and wanted to leave ASAP so I gave him the glass of water he asked for, lied and said I wouldn’t cancel the subcription I agreed to, and he left with his buddy. 3. An obviously drunk guy showed up at my door with his equally drunk buddy and claimed he had car trouble and wanted to use my phone. I had a dog who was 100% harmless (she would have played with Satan if he’d had a treat in his pocket) but she had markings that made her look like a Rottweiler. I held her in front of me so the guys could see her through the storm door. She, of course, jumped and pulled at her collar, thinking these creeps wanted to play with her but they assumed she wanted to eat them so they went away. 4. I had a patient who told me he was possessed by a demon. He told me (reluctantly, not boastfully) of the truly horrendous things he’d done to others under the influence of the demon and to himself (while in prison for the horrific crimes he’d committed) in an effort to exorcise the demon. Think of the worst form of self-mutilation a man could commit. He did that. He described all the treatments, medical and religious, he’d undergone. He’d been through all of them. Nicotine was all that seemed to keep the demon under control. The whole time I was talking to him a vibe filled the exam room that I can only describe as evil. Not anger at the man for what he’d done but actual evil, like something was inside him and I’d better be careful not to let my guard down or I’d find out first-hand that demons do exist. It was just like a scene from The Exorcist or The Omen or similar movie when you want to yell GTFO at the guy on-screen who’s about to get up close and personal with spinning heads and projectile vomit. I had the same sensation on the few occasions I’ve suffered “hag-riding” (hyponagogic hallucinations and transient sleep paralysis, scientifically speaking) and been convinced in the moment that a demon was circling my bed. (I wouldn’t wish hag-riding on anyone.) I focused on the patient’s physical issues instead of the spiritual ones and referred him to a cardiologist. The cardiologist’s report came back with the advice for the patient to “keep smoking”. All of these encounters occurred in brightly lit, “nice,” safe suburban locations. I’ve walked through downtown Dallas in the dark, ridden trains through ghettos that looked like war zones, and done mission work in Honduras and never felt as unsafe as I did in those situations. Probably why I hate the suburbs. I’m always on edge, like I’m waiting for the really evil, twisted sh*t to happen. Cate: I don’t really believe in evil. I think people do horrible things because of the circumstances that they are put in or have been put through, the values (or lack thereof) in their society and social groups, and, sometimes, because of severe mental defect. That said, the closest I probably came to a bad person was when I was a young reporter. Like all the rookies, I was on the weekend rotation. Once every couple months, I had to work breaking news on a Saturday and Sunday in addition to covering my usual beat. Often, breaking meant bleeding. Much of the weekend work involved listening to police scanners and going wherever the cops said they’d head next.  One day, I’m listening to the scanner and there is a bunch of loud chatter about a building in Paterson. Apparently, a would-be robber broke into a Pennsylvania home, surprising the children and babysitter. He shot them all and fled to a Paterson, NJ, housing project.  My editor sent me to the building. Somehow, I arrived in the courtyard outside the buildings before the police cars. The sun was slipping beyond the horizon and the sky had a deep purple tinge to it, like a fresh bruise. A group of large, young men openly smoked joints as thick as cuban cigars and threw dice against a brick exterior. I walked over to them with all the bravado of a 21-year-old cub reporter armed with a notepad and press pass dangling from a lanyard, and asked what they thought of the police helicopters overhead. They looked at me like an extra for another film had wandered onto the wrong set.  “Apparently, this guy killed a babysitter and shot two children,” I said, trying not to betray my nervous excitement. “He fled into this housing complex. Are you afraid to go inside?”  Maybe it was a stupid question to ask a bunch of large men who didn’t seem to care that marijuana was, technically, illegal and that their building was being monitored by police helicopters. But I thought it made sense. It’s one thing to look intimidating to a hundred fifteen pound woman fresh out of college covering her first “murder.” It’s another to face down a real, armed man who’d killed a teenager and two kids.  The guys told me that “no they weren’t scared to go into their building.”  Then one asked if I was scared, letting his eyes roll over my cheap skirt suit in a way that suggested maybe my reporter’s badge didn’t give me any special powers to wander into his neighborhood. I took the pretty blatant hint and retreated to the side of the apartment complex to call my editor. “There are police helicopters overhead, but the cops aren’t here yet and the guys in front of the building basically told me to get lost.”  “Okay. Well, can you go inside the building and see if you see anything?”  My editor was a large dude, outweighing me by at least a hundred and fifty pounds. It seemed like a job for him to go inside a building with an armed murderer and a gang of men outside who’d basically just told me to get the heck out of there. Not me.  “Um. You know. It’s getting dark and I don’t feel great about going into a building housing an alleged murderer when the police aren’t even here.” “Well, that’s how you get the story. But, if you’re frightened… I felt awful. But I was still too scared to go into that building. “I guess, maybe, I’m not cut out to be a cop reporter.”  When I went back, I called the police and got some on the record quotes, feeling ashamed of myself for being a wimp. Weeks later, I was having drinks with some colleagues and they all told me about the time the big, burly editor was beat up inside the same building by a gang of guys for asking too many questions.  When I tell this story now, I wonder, who was the bad guy?  Michele: A brush with evil you ask?How about standing outside the bedroom door of your two children, both under the age of three, and feeling the hands of a man tighten around your neck until you see stars and think you are going to die and leave your babies helpless?Or feeling the cold nozzle of a gun taken from the top of your copper tone refrigerator and held against your temple?Finding every pair of pants in your closet has had the crotch slashed?Having your back door broken down and landing on the kitchen table sending the Cheerios in your children’s bowls flying into the air, never to be forgotten?All at the hands of your now dead ex-husband, who was a cop.Evil doesn’t just exist in cities or suburbs. Evil can be disguised as adoration that once inside your heart and home becomes deadly. Alison: Beyond the inexplicable personal evil Michele described so horrifically, I think there are ways of organizing societies that can nurture evil (and, conversely, can nurture compassion). I had an experience as a kid in Germany like Paula did. A neighbor down the street used to talk about the good old days when you could leave your bike on the street and not worry about having it stolen. Then, when I studied in the Soviet Union, a friend told me about the neighbors who used to disappear in the night. Being the naïve girl I was, I asked why people didn’t “do” something about it. His response is one I’ll never forget: “Fear. You don’t understand the power of fear.” Then, of course, I’ve always been bothered by stories in the Book of Mormon where the “good guys” use deadly violence. I’m not a fan of anything that glorifies taking a life.Political, philosophical and religious belief systems that worry me tend to have three things in common: (1) a claim there’s only one true and good way to live; (2) it, whatever belief system “it” is, is that one way; and (3) there’s no room for variation.I know that doesn’t directly answer your question, Susan, but that’s all I have. Paula: Wow. No wonder we all write crime fiction, where we can ensure that justice is served. One way or another. Robin: I have long maintained writing crime fiction is therapy. It’s a world we can control where justice prevails, one way or another.The answers to this question make me prouder than ever to be a Miss Demeanor.

Read more

Weddings

In a little more than week, my daughter is getting married. She is a beautiful and vibrant young woman and I can already picture her twirling around the dance floor. There will be tons of food and drink and a live band and a signature cocktail. My sons will cart me down the aisle, my husband will make a toast, and I feel confident that at some point I will collapse into tears (of joy).   Several of my friends (or one of them, anyway) have remarked on how calm I’ve been. That has a lot to do with Pinot Grigio, and the fact that my daughter’s very well-organized. But mainly it’s because I feel so confident that she’s marrying the right guy. How do I know? It’s a well-known fact in my family  that I’m terrified of making left turns. It’s a phobia. If you’re ever stuck behind me at an intersection, you should just settle back and relax because nothing is happening soon. But even more than making left turns do I hate driving on rotaries, which is like a left turn times three. So a couple of months ago, I was up in Boston, visiting my daughter. There was a doctor’s appointment involved, and I was anxious about that, although everything was fine, but at the end of it all, I had to drive her car back to her house. Her car is more of a truck. But Alex said to follow him and everything would be fine. So I put on the GPS, of course, but meanwhile I locked him into my view and I figured that I was not going to lose him. He started to drive, and my GPS kept barking me and I realized he was taking a different route than the one my phone was insisting I take. We wound our way all around, and when I pulled into the driveway, I realized he’d mapped out a route that required no left turns. He’d gone out of his way to make me feel comfortable. Now, who would not want her daughter marrying such a man? Happy Wedding Day, Kathy & Alex!   

Read more

The Emotional Craft of Fiction

“The sad truth is that television commercials can stir more feelings in thirty seconds than many manuscripts do in three hundred pages.” So writes veteran literary agent Donald Maass in his spellbinding book, The Emotional Craft of Fiction, and he goes on to explain how writers can learn to help their readers feel.  As someone who has spent a fair amount of time crying over commercials, I found his advice compelling, and I’ll certainly apply it to my next book.  Meantime, here are some more quotes: “Why is it important to look at fiction writing through the lens of emotional experience? Because that’s the way readers read. They don’t so much read as respond. They do not automatically adopt your outlook and outrage. They formulate their own. You are not the author of what readers feel, just the provocateur of those feelings.” “Who your characters are, how they behave, what they believe, how they think, what they do, and the ways in which they feel are in your control. Why create characters who only raise shrugs?”  “What makes them classics? Artful storytelling, sure, but beyond the storytelling, classics have enduring appeal mostly because we remember the experiences we had while reading them; we remember not the art but the impact.” “When a plot resolves, readers are satisfied, but what they remember of a novel is what they felt while reading it. Hooks may hook, twists may intrigue, tension may turn pages, and prose may dazzle, but all of those effects fade as quickly as fireworks in a night sky. Ask readers what they best remember about novels and most will say the characters, but is that accurate? It’s true that characters become real to us but that is because of what they cause us to feel. Characters aren’t actually real; only our own feelings are.”

Read more

In praise of House Hunters

My boss, who is given to making profound and occasionally disturbing pronouncements, once told me that every conversation is a power play. (We were having a conversation at the time.) I’ve found this very useful to think about when writing dialogue. And it’s part of why I enjoy the TV show House Hunters so much. You’ve probably seen it at some point or other. It’s on HGTV and it’s half an hour long and its about people, usually a couple, who are looking for a house. Invariably one member of the couple wants one type of house—a traditional fixer-upper—and the other wants modern. Or one wants to spend $300,000 and one $400,000. Or in the episode I watched recently, one was very concerned that his house not be haunted and his wife didn’t care. As a New Yorker, the first thing that strikes me is that if I lived anywhere else in this country, except San Diego, I could get much more house for my money. But why be bitter? The key thing that fascinates me is how these couples make their decisions. They are always so diametrically opposed that compromise is not really possible. One person usually has to give in. So who is that person? I love to try and predict. I’ve noticed that the better looking person will often get her way. Alternatively, the one who makes the most noise will often buckle. And everyone wants an open concept kitchen. As a mystery author, this sort of negotiation intrigues me. Power intrigues me. How do people go about getting what they want? How hard will they push for it? Might they be willing to kill for it?  

Read more

Pitching

This past weekend I was a workshop leader at the New York Pitch Conference. I’m in charge of the women’s fiction/literary fiction/memoir group, so I get to hear many wonderful stories. Many that I hope to read in book form at some point or another. I am continually awed by the diversity of stories out there. Just in my group there were people from India and Ghana and Lebanon and England. Professors and Ph.Ds. People who’ve survived some terrible things and others who’ve survived Hollywood. People who seem very polished and people who are scribbling notes on bits of paper. Mothers and daughters and some really odd people. It’s also fascinating to me how individual this publishing business is. Every editor reacts to each pitch in a different way. The very same pitch will be met with enthusiasm from one editor and blank indifference from another. They like for you to have a large social media presence. They like to know you’ve worked hard on your story–whether by studying writing or having pieces workshopped by beta readers. They like for you to have good comps. They like all these things unless they don’t really care because they like your story so much. Or they like you so much.  Or they like your shoes. It’s a mystery.  But I’m happy to report that almost every member of my group got a request from an editor, and most got more than one. Now the next part of the process begins, the revising and waiting and hoping. Fingers crossed!    

Read more

Promoting… The All Important P In Publishing

Promotion! I hate it. Some folks may love it. Certainly, most folks are way better at it than I am. So, my question to the MissDemeanors this week was: What is the best thing you’ve done to help promote your book so far? I’ve highlighted some of my favorite bits that I will definitely be exploring with my latest book.   Here’s mine. I had a murder mystery party in my house for The Widower’s Wife. About 50 couples showed up and everyone had a character (most of which I made up). Pretty much everyone bought a book. More importantly, folks had so much fun being part of a mystery that they actually read the book and then shared it with friends. I am pretty sure that each person who came spread the word. At the end of the day, I can’t quantify the sales, but it was fun and it definitely got folks talking.  Michele: The unfortunate answer to this question is I don’t know. That’s because it’s very difficult to tell what works and doesn’t unless you can make a direct connection to your sales. My sense is that marketing my books to people who live in or visit and love the Virgin Islands has worked best. I think that might get filed under “Finding Your Audience.” Susan: I’ve taken part in several Bones and Scones events at the Madison Library, and those are fun because the only people who go are cozy mystery readers. And people who like scones. (This would go to Michele’s point about Finding Your Audience.) In terms of sales, the number one thing I’ve done is take part in BookBub. That causes your sales to jump by thousands in one day. It’s at a reduced price, but if you’re looking to get your name out there, it’s very helpful. Also, Gotham Writers has a newsletter they send out to 40,000 or so people and they’ve been very nice about excerpting my work and promoting it. Paula: It’s hard to know what works and what doesn’t, so the best thing is to do is as much as possible. Social media’s critical, and I do a lot of that. I also do a lot of appearances at writer’s conferences, where I sell a lot of my writing books (as that’s where my audience is). Robin Stuart: I second Paula’s advice. Conferences and social media are good for reaching beyond your immediate circles. So is looking for and jumping on every single opportunity to be interviewed, interviewing someone else, and writing articles/blogs on topics close to your platform or premise. If you’re not already a member of organizations like Sisters In Crime and Mystery Writers of America – do it now. They both offer opportunities for volunteering, panel appearances and organized events to raise your own profile as well as that of your books. I’m also a fan of creative promotions, like our Miss Demeanors webcam covers. Since I write what I know (cyber crime) I have “names” in the cyber crime fighting community ready and willing to help out with promotional ideas and opportunities, too. Basically, book promotion is self-promotion. The key is to throw shyness out the window. Believe in your product (you) and leverage your communities, be they personal, professional, local or international. It’s all fair game and the only limits are your imagination. Tracee: I think I agree with everyone! Particularly on the it’s hard to tell what works issue. I’m with Paula that you have to delve into social media, but I keep looking for the sweet spot – meaning how much and how targeted. I wish I could do it as well as Steve Berry. His social media posts are consistent and reflect the focus of his books – thrillers set around a historical topic. When he is gearing up for a launch the posts focus on historic facts/places/items of interest surrounding that particular theme (for example, tie in to the Templars for the Templar Legacy.) When he’s not gearing up for a launch the historic topics range a bit further but keep the interest of readers who like the history angle. It’s targeted and informative. I think it is a success. I’ve not been as creative as Cate with her mystery party but I do think that in-person helps. I liken it to politics. When you are a new candidate (or a known name going to the next level) you have to meet people. Hopefully these people become your strongest supporters (fans) and spread the word. For me, that means getting out and about: bookstores, libraries, local groups, in person or Skype book clubs and, of course, conferences. I also think these outings are energizing. Meeting readers and talking about books is why we write! I always think what would Paula do/say? She would likely remind us all that the MOST important thing we do is put time into writing the best book we can. So I suppose that’s the scale upon which I weigh the other marketing activities. Have to do them, but don’t let them become all I do. Alexia: My publisher’s sales are mostly online so I’m working on “building my social media presence”. I’ve got an account on nearly everything except Reddit, although I have varying success in keeping up with all of them. I blog, which is not something I did before I had a book deal. (And, honestly, wouldn’t if I wasn’t an author.) I seldom say no to interviews on others’ blogs or podcasts (even though I think my recorded voice sounds weird). I also go to as many conferences as I can afford to/arrange time off from work for. A lot of my book sales are made at conferences, both on-site and to people who meet/hear me and buy later. Conferences help me improve my networking skills as well as sell books. I’ve made contact with people who’ve offered me guest blogs, interviews, and book blurbs. The next time I see a movie or TV show that depicts an author leading the life of a hermit, never connecting with anyone but their inner muse, yet still selling books, I’m going to track down the script writer and bop them over the head with my calendar. (Not really, because I don’t advocate violence but you know what I mean.) On the plus side, I made enough trips this year to get my United frequent flyer status upgraded to Silver. If I ever win Powerball or Mega Millions, I’m hiring a publicist. Alison: As a yet-to-be-published writer, I know where to turn in 2018 when I need advice! I have to admit, it’s not something I’m thinking about yet. (Alison, book mark this blog. I learned a lot from our fellow MissDemeanors.)  

Read more

Throwback Thursday

Remember when I would wait like a high school junior at the mailbox for my latest rejection letter from an agent? Remember when I got so many that I lost count….  Whenever I start feeling overwhelmed by launching a new book and all the what-ifs–am I promoting enough, am I selling enough, will folks like the story, will I ever have another book contract, etc.–I remind myself that there was a day when I aspired to be plagued with these doubts as opposed to the what-if-I-wrote-this-for-nothing what-if.  Writing on spec is one of the most difficult things to do (I know. I did it in between book contracts just last year). You are pouring yourself into a project and you’re not even sure that it will be read by anyone save immediate family members. You hope, but you know that writing and reading is subjective. Just because you like a story, doesn’t mean anyone else will. And, even if you write a brilliant story, it doesn’t mean that your artistry will come across in an elevator pitch. I am fortunate to have a wonderful agent that makes me confident that everything I write will eventually find a home. I also remember all too well when I didn’t.   So, the purpose of this post is to tell all the would-be authors out there penning a novel with the dream of getting traditionally published that what you are doing is difficult. It can be demoralizing. It can be frustrating and self-doubt inducing and throw-the-computer-across-the-room-infuriating. But, hang in there. That old adage about success and perspiration is true. It just doesn’t make clear that some of the sweating isn’t from effort but fear and frustration.    

Read more

Not Killing My Darlings

 Every now and again, as a writer, I pen a paragraph or phrase that I REALLY, REALLY like. The words flow in a way that I find personally poetic. The idea conveyed seems deeply honest. The descriptions work…  And, invariably, I wonder if I should delete it.  Surely, it comes across as too writerly, I’ll think. The prose is probably borderline purple. It betrays my own feelings too explicitly. It’s self-indulgent to leave it. I can say whatever it is in a simpler, direct fashion. My journalism training returns: just the facts man, leave your editorializing and flowery language out of it.  Many times I listen to myself and delete it. Sometimes, I try to sneak it in, and my editor suggests that I take an ax to it. Once in awhile, though, I’ll get to keep it. This paragraph (pictured) in Lies She Told is an example of it. I’m happy that I kept it. It’s my favorite in the book. It’s my darling. And I’m glad I didn’t delete her.  Do you kill your darlings or do you try to keep them?  

Read more

Marketing Mania

One of the worst parts of publishing a book, in my opinion, is marketing said book. When writing, I feel in control. I know the target length for my novel. I know roughly how to tell the story that I want given the desired word count and deadline. I know whom my characters are and the kind of things they would realistically do. I can figure out how to handle edits and I feel relatively confident in my ability to change the story given my editors’ and early readers’ suggestions.  As a journalist for over a decade, writing and editing are familiar to me. Marketing is anything but. What should I do in addition to the online blog tours that my publisher sets up? How should I spend my personal marketing budget?  Ads on Facebook or GoodReads. Effective or no? And, if I do buy them, how much should I spend and what target audience should I select? Should I fill up my gas tank and travel to area bookstores? If so, which ones? Should I pitch articles tangentially related to my book or discussing the research that went into it? And, if so, what publications should I target and why?   And, given that all this takes an incredible amount of time, how many hours a week should I spend on these types of activities at the expense of writing/editing the next book (due Oct. 1).  I don’t know what the right answer is. But I can share what I’ve done so far… I’ve written over 12,000 words of blog posts, articles, and interviews for online publications related to thriller, suspense and mystery novels. I’ve also written thousands of words in pitches to local publications to cover various events related to the book.  I’ve spoken at a handful of libraries and had a book launch at the esteemed Mysterious Bookstore. I am also combining with a local realtor to do a reading at an incredible house with a ton of reading nooks.  I’ve tried to respond to every message on GoodReads and on Instagram related to the book, as well as thank evert reader who enjoyed the novel and recommended it to their followers. Note: I don’t know who any of these folks are before hand. On Instagram, folks tend to tag the name of the book or the author, so I find out who read it and what they’ve said simply from the shoutout/tag. I’ve sent my book to people and production houses that I think might be influential–if they even bother to open the unsolicited mail.  I’ve done some radio interviews.  I have worked out pitches for articles for three national publications and am executing on said stories.  I have done giveaways on GoodReads and through blogs.  I have (and am) blogging I am annoying all my friends by posting way too much on Facebook about Lies She Told.I’ve continually asked anyone that mentions the book in another venue to review on GoodReads and Amazon (and Barnes & Noble too, if they should be so inclined).  Reviewing is caring.  I’ve visited indie bookstores that may be unaware of my book with media kits and offered them books to sell on consignment.  And I still don’t feel like it’s enough.  Any marketing suggestions would be very much welcome and appreciated. What has worked for you?     

Read more