How the MissD Authors Keep on Writing.
I asked my fellow MissD authors what the hardest and/or most unusual things they do as part of their writing process. Here’s what they had to say.
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Month: August 2019
Talking Suspense with Jaden Terrell.
We met this spring when you flew up from Nashville to speak to the New York Chapter of Sisters in Crime. You gave a fascinating presentation on craft. Afterwards, you and I had quite the discussion about what makes for good suspense. You were rather persuasive. So, will you explain what you think makes for I-cannot-put-this-book-down suspense? Thank you. Alison. That was a lively conversation, and as I remember, you were pretty persuasive yourself. I’m a big proponent of Donald Maass’s mantra, “Tension on every page,” and I think suspense is tightly connected to that. But I also think writers interpret it too narrowly. They add bickering, car chases, explosions, and fight scenes in hopes of raising the stakes and heightening suspense. But we’ve all read books that had non-stop action and yet came across as flat or even humdrum. That happens when the writer forgets to give the reader an emotional stake in the story.
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Happy Pub Day! L.A. Chandlar Talks Writing and The Pearl Dagger
Catching up with Laurie Chandlar is no easy feat–see her book tour schedule below–but she was gracious enough to spend some of her time between flights, conferences, and talks to share thoughts about the third book in her successful Art Deco Mystery series as well as how she approaches writing.
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The Last Days of Summer
Welcome to the last week of August. I love this time of year. That first chill in the evening air reminds me the last petals will drop from the flowers and color will come from leaves changing their colors. Corn on the cob tastes a little sweeter because summer vegetables will soon be replaced by their heartier fall counterparts. This morning, my toes were cold enough that slipping my feet into wool slippers was exactly the right thing to do.
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A Day on the Porch with the Miss Demeanors
I’ve been spending my annual week in Truro, mostly on the sweetest porch on the planet. At least that’s my opinion. I wanted to invite my fellow Miss Demeanors to join in on the fun. So the question of the week is:
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D.A. Bartley: I Survived Book #2
Our own D.A. Bartley’s second book, Death in the Covenant was released last week. Amid the flurry of excitement and buzz, she took a moment in a rock on the Miss Demeanors’ summer porch to share her experience with “the second book.”
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Taking Stock on a Summer Porch
Spending a week in August on a porch on Cape Cod provides an opportunity to take stock of a lot of stuff. It’s the perfect occasion to reflect on what’s happened during the previous year, especially if you’re like me and your life has always functioned on an academic calendar year.
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Hallie Ephron: Careful What You Wish For
How lucky are we on the Miss Demeanors blog to have Hallie Ephron join us to talk about her new book, “Careful What You Wish For.” Hallie was my first writing teacher and I still take her classes whenever I can. Look how she comes up with inspiration and runs with it. No wonder she is my inspiration!
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In Praise of Porches
For the past twenty years or so, I have spent a week at a tiny cottage in Truro, Massachusetts on Cape Cod. While you may associate the town with the constant shark warnings that have been posted this summer, I connect Truro with my love of summer porches.
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