Interview with author Gloria Ferris

I'm pleased today to introduce you to mystery and suspense writer Gloria Ferris.  Here are a couple of highlights:

CHEAT THE HANGMAN – published by Imajin Books in Aug/11. Paranormal Mystery, was shortlisted for the Unhanged Arthur in 2009 and is now shortlisted for the Bony Blithe Award. Protagonist is Lyris Pembrooke.

CORPSE FLOWER – won 2010 Unhanged Arthur, to be published by Dundurn Press in Spring/2013. It’s a mystery, humorous if you like, and the protagonist is Bliss Moonbeam Cornwall.

And now, let's see what Gloria has to say... 

If you were to write a profile for Bliss Moonbeam for one of those online dating websites, what would it say?

Okay, I’ll give it a try:

My name is Bliss Moonbeam Cornwall.  I’m 32 and five foot five in three inch heals. My hooker friend, Rae, from the trailer park where I live, likes to experiment on my hair so it’s now 7 or 8 shades of brown and blonde, and naturally curly. As you can see in my picture, I’m on the thin side and, if you guys are cruising for huge, silicon-filled boobs, keep walking. I am nothing if not natural.

I’m not seeking a lasting relationship right now – too many things on the go – but I wouldn’t mind a dinner out once in a while. The rat-bastard lawyer I used to be married to swindled me out of a fair settlement and I’m working any minimum wage job I can find to save the money to take him back to court. At least that was the plan. But, I keep running into marijuana everywhere I go in town, and another idea is beginning to surface. It involves a touch of blackmail here and there but, hey, no pain no gain, right guys?

Anyhow, if you’re in the Lockport area near Lake Huron, give me a call. I’m really cute and will eat pretty much anything. Oh, and no married, engaged, divorced, separated or mamas’ boys need respond. Or lawyers.  It’s fine if you’re gay but you’ll need to know where to take a girl for a fabulous meal. 

As a bonus, here's a profile for Lyris:

Lyris Pembrooke: Hi. My photo shows you I have mid-length dark hair and dark eyes, and my face won’t scare children or squirrels (snicker, little humour there). I’m five foot nine and 38 years old. I live in Blackshore, Ontario, where I just inherited a Georgian mansion from my uncle. The Will won’t allow me to sell the place for twenty-five years, so fortune hunters are out of luck. And the body I found in the tower room had been there for a long time – I plan to find out who’s responsible so there’s nothing for anyone else to worry about

 I’m divorced and looking for someone between the ages of 39 and 40. I will screen applicants to ensure they meet my other requirements which I won’t go into here. If you want to date me, you should know up front that I won’t have sex with you for months, or maybe even years. We’d have to see how we get on. A uniform will take you to the top of the list, but this excludes UPS drivers and Animal Control officers

 I believe in full disclosure to prevent misunderstanding, so if the paranormal frightens you, I’m not the woman you’re looking for. I have a spirit guide, Leander, who used to be Winston Churchill, or maybe John Lennon – he won’t tell me. My Aunt Clem is also psychic, renowned throughout the county for the accuracy of her predictions so, between her and Leander, I feel pretty safe in venturing into the world of online dating. One or both of them will warn me if you have criminal tendencies.

I think that’s all you need to know except that the Chief of Police has taken a shine to me. I haven’t decided yet if I’ll let him catch me, hence this profile on e-FindABabe. There’s nothing like a little competition to make a man try harder, and he already has the uniform.

There seems to be a surge these days in paranormal fiction and in genre cross-pollination.  Do you feel that you can reach both mystery and paranormal audiences?  Overall, what are your thoughts on the blurring and blending of genres?

Mystery has always been a popular genre, as has the paranormal. A lot of readers like both, so it seems fair to say they would love a cross between the two. I count myself among their number.

When I wrote the first draft of CHEAT THE HANGMAN, there was no paranormal element. But I realized there was something missing. How can a 70-year-old murder be solved when most of the suspects are dead as well? Even if the killer is unmasked by deduction, elimination, or a confession left in the family mausoleum (didn’t happen in CTH, by the way) the story can be dry and ordinary. So, I wrote in a reluctant psychic and a smart-ass spirit guide.

The story has its darker moments but I wanted the reader to feel, and believe, that all things are possible, that a child murdered during the Second World War can finally be buried with dignity. And that those responsible can yet be unmasked and find peace themselves.  Somehow, writing a paranormal component into CHEAT THE HANGMAN just seemed to be, well...right. It fit.

I think all cross-genre writing is wonderful. Fans of every genre can now read what they love and, at the same time, find a new interest. For mystery lovers, we offer them not only the usual suspense, thriller, cozies, and amateur sleuths, but paranormal-mystery, fantasy-mystery, romance-mystery, western-mystery, time travel-mystery. In short, everything and anything the human imagination can conceive, we write. And readers can read. It’s all good.

 

So, let me get this straight: You are working on book #2 in the Lyris Pembrooke series, and working on book #2 in the Bliss Moonbeam series.  How do you keep it all straight in your head?

Lyris and Bliss are both strong women who face adversity head on and get up each time they’re knocked down.  But the similarity ends there. Each inhabits a different world and is surrounded by a unique cast of supporting characters. Getting their worlds confused just doesn’t happen.

           

I know I should pick one story, and finish it. Then go back to the other and do the same. The trouble is, I know what both Lyris and Bliss are up to in their new adventures and I keep running from one to the other as story lines, scenes, phrases or words jump into my head. When I’m working with Lyris, Bliss calls me and, just as I have Bliss sorted out for the moment, Lyris needs me.  I wish they would remember they’re just characters and supposed to do what I tell them, when I tell them.

Give me the sales pitch for Corpse Flower in 25 words or less.

Ah, CORPSE FLOWER:

The bodies are piling up around Bliss. She infuriates the top cop and risks her future by interfering with his investigation and compromising a marijuana sting.

You have written short stories and novels.  What adjustments do you have to make it your approach to each of these very different types of writing?

I wrote both CHEAT THE HANGMAN and CORPSE FLOWER before I even attempted a short story. Both novels are written in first person from a female perspective and I wanted to challenge myself. Could I actually write in third person, male POV? And, how about the humour? My natural voice is irreverent and impertinent (and my first language is sarcasm).

So, I wrote LAST ROLL OF THE DICE, a story of an elderly WWII veteran living in Victoria, BC, who is being forced by time and ill health to leave his beloved home. It’s a mystery, of course, so there’s some nefarious goings-on. The story came second in the 2011 Bony Pete contest sponsored by the Bloody Words Conference. I believe it will appear in this year’s conference magazine.

Since then I’ve written several other short stories, third person, male POV sans humour. Validation that I can, if required, write seriously, but I hope nobody ever holds a gun to my head and makes me do it. It’s just too hard for me. One of these days, I’ll do some research on short story markets and send mine out there.

Name two authors (living or dead) who have inspired or influenced you.  Tell me why.

That’s hard.  But, if I have to pick two, these are among my favourites:

•   Ellery Queen: I began reading these mysteries at age 8. My mother belonged to the Book of the Month Club and I always hoped for an Ellery Queen. They were my first exposure to the mystery genre and I’ve never looked back.

•   Elizabeth Peters: Anything to do with ancient Egypt and mysteries fascinates me. I have two bookshelves filled with Peters’ books and I especially like the Amelia Peabody series. Something about that take-charge, umbrella-toting, Victorian matron and her hunkster archaeologist hubby, Emerson, just resonates with me. Could it be the humour?

What is the most surprising thing about being a writer/being published?

I continue to be blown away by the amount of work required in being a published author. Marketing, branding, social media, blogging, readings, etc. It never stops. I find I don’t take a day off anymore and, like most authors, I get up early and stay up late just so I have some time to write.

If you didn’t have a talent for writing, what creative outlet would you pursue instead?

I used to sew and do a lot of crafts which I sold at shows and fairs. Thinking about it now, about the time I stopped sewing, I started to write. Wish I’d done that sooner.

If I couldn’t write anymore for some reason, I’d take up surfing before going back to sewing. And water scares me and I can’t swim.

What writing advice can you offer to an aspiring author?

• Join an organization. Whatever genre you write in, there’s an organization that will befriend and support you. You will receive priceless information, knowledge and skills, and your writing will be the better for it.

• Enter every contest you can find. If you can win a contest, or even receive a nomination, your manuscript has a better chance of moving up from the slush pile to an editor’s desk.

 

What is the one question you wish I had asked you, but didn’t.  Now go ahead and ask and answer that question.

How about: At what point did you really believe you could be a published author and seriously start working towards that goal?

And the answer is – the first Bloody Words Conference I attended. I joined the Crime Writers of Canada in 2007 and registered for my first conference in 2008. I submitted the first five chapters of CHEAT THE HANGMAN for the manuscript critique by a published author and, when I found out the author was Mary Jane Maffini, I was thrilled and terrified. Here was an author who had published at least ten books. What would she think of my writing? 

Well, Mary Jane was so warm and encouraging that I left our short meeting in a glow of new resolve. I enjoyed the rest of the conference – crime writers are a lot of fun! – and went home to finish CTH. It was shortlisted for the 2009 Unhanged Arthur award and published last year by Imajin Books. It has recently been nominated for the Bony Blithe award – and one of the other nominees is Mary Jane! So, you could say that encouragement from Mary Jane plus hob-nobbing with writers who were published, yet human and approachable, made me believe I could do it too.

Check out Gloria's website:  http://www.gloriaferris.com/

Amazon link for CHEAT THE HANGMAN

I get to be a guest!!

Hey Folks,

Today I am very flattered to be the featured guest over at CONFESSIONS OF A MYSTERY NOVELIST .

Drop by and see what Margot Kinberg has to say about me and the Sasha Jackson Mystery series!  Her article  is a combination of profile and review, which I think is a pretty cool way of doing things.

Link HERE.

Big THANKS to Margot for inviting me to do this!

Interview with Melodie Campbell

Hi Folks,

Today I am happy to share an interview with wordsmith and funny gal Melodie Campbell, author of Rowena Through The Wall plus tons of other great stuff!  Here we go...

Jill:  Tell me about the first time you walked through a wall or into a wall.

Melodie:  It wasn’t a wall but a mailbox.  Took off my glasses trying to impress a guy at University.  I made an ‘impression’ all right.

But seriously, I did walk into a men’s washroom once.  I blame it on those little Greek symbols…I mean, I’m a friggin’ Commerce grad, not an Arts major!  Luckily, I recognized the swinging apparatus and beat the hell out of there.  Twenty years later, maybe I would have lingered…

Your poem “Cyanide” has received some weighty accolades.  Tell, me was “Cyanide” really just a poetic twist on participatory journalism?

Not exactly, but I can think of some reviewers... J  My poetry is pretty accessible, like my fiction.  Cyanide is in the “He Done Her Wrong” class:

Cyanide

You say my cooking’s ghastly

I’m useless on my back

I never read a paper

And besides, I’m getting fat.

You call this match unequal

On that, I must agree

For now you’re dead upon the floor

And I am finally free.

You have written all kinds of things: poems, short stories, comedy and a novel.  Which type of writing do you find easiest?  Hardest?  Most satisfying?

Easiest?  Comedy.  I was the class clown in school, always getting detention for being a smart ass.  Comedy is my vice, my lover, my protection.

Hardest?  A novel.  Definitely.  My stories want to end themselves sooner.  I probably wouldn’t have written one at all except for this rogue journalist I met at the Toronto Press Club.  “You’ve never written a novel before – why don’t you write a novel?” he slurred, hoisting a glass of single malt.  By the way, there is no truth to the rumour that I once did a somersault off the Press Club billiard table.

On your website you have a list of short stories under the heading “Earlier Fiction”.   I’m putting you on the spot now: Which one is your favourite and why?

A Moment in Time.  My first story to hit it big (1992 -sold it to three different magazines and newspapers.)  It is a pre-internet story about a man’s obsession for a woman he met on a BBS (the way people used to connect by computer in the stone age.) It has a shock ending.  I still get chills when I read it.

What is the ONE thing you want readers to know about your forthcoming book The Goddaughter.

It’s not exactly a roman a clef, BUT this is the book most like me and the kind of wacky comedy I live for.  My family is Sicilian.  Lots of comic material there.  And I worked in the Hammer (Hamilton) for years.  Love the place.  Perhaps that smog did something to my brain?

So while Rowena in Rowena Through the Wall is who I would like to look like and be like, Gina in The Goddaughter is who I am. And she ain’t so perfect J

You have completed the first book in a new series you are co-writing with Cynthia St. Pierre.  What are the challenges and benefits of co-writing?

Benefits are wonderful.  Writing is such a solitary job.  Having a co- writer means having someone to share each step along the way. We actually did the chapter by chapter thing.  I wrote a chapter then Cindy wrote the next.  We surprised each other by not knowing exactly what was going to happen next.  Then of course we went back to edit for continuity to ensure we had a solid novel.

Challenges – We’ve been lucky. Our writing styles are pretty similar, which is a blessing.  We like the characters introduced by each other.  I think our biggest challenge has been living 90 miles apart, such that we can’t get together every week!

Okay: Time Travel.  You knew I’d be asking about this.  If you could live in any PAST era/decade/whatever, when would it be? 

Let me twist that.   I would love to live in the future, in a time when women had full equality (we still don’t now).  There is a dark side to Rowena Through the Wall.  I was exploring the concept of what happens in a world where women are scarce.  Our newspapers report that in some parts of the world, there is a disturbing gender imbalance.  When females become scarce, would they be more valued and thus have more power?  My conclusion is not a positive one.  I meant the book to be funny and entertaining, but there is a dark side underneath.

Is ownership of a Gucci bag considered a good reason for “justifiable homicide”?

Nah.  But the owners might be certifiable.  Three thousand dollars for a handbag?  Are they nuts?  You don’t see me wasting my money on things like that.  I’m far too busy wasting it on fast cars.

Talk to me about the cover for Rowena through the Wall.  How was it chosen?  What does it mean to you?  What do you feel it says to readers?

Parts of the cover I love.  I love the dark blue – a traditional colour used in fantasy fiction.  I love the two worlds colliding with the lightning bolt in between….the new world on the left and the Norman castle on the right.  I’d probably change the couple featured in the foreground.  It makes this book appear to be a romance, and it isn’t a romance.  Romance readers are made uncomfortable by this book because Rowena doesn’t meet one man and stay with him.  In fact she is with 5 men throughout the course of the book, and it isn’t until the end that she can be with the one she loves.  This is not a romance novel.  It is more realistic of the fate of women in medieval times and the high fantasy fiction that reflects those times.

What is the worst mistake you have ever made as a writer?

Back in 1993, a producer from HBO saw my play ‘Burglar for Coffee,’ labelled it “completely nuts,” and offered me a spot writing pilots, which I turned down.  This has to go on record as the worst mistake ever made by a person not officially insane. I mean, who had ever heard of HBO?

Follow Melodie on Twitter @MelodieCampbell

Check out Melodie's website HERE.

Pets and Mysteries

Pets play a role in some mystery series.  Robert B. Parker's Spenser series had Pearl the Wonderdog, and Janet Evanovich's Stephanie Plum series has Bob, the canine garbage can.  And, of course, there are tons of mysteries and even a whole series featuring cats. 

I got my first dog (actually, my first ever pet) in October 2011.  Her name is Bella, and she is an 11 year old Maltese.  She weighs 5.5 lbs and has 3 teeth (the remaining ones will be pulled out soon).  She's very timid, at times flatulent, and is only house-trained when it suits her. 

But, she's also very sweet, never makes a sound (I've even smuggled her in to libraries!), and she is very bouncy and licky.  Getting a dog was one of the best decisions I've ever made!!!

So, I may eventually have to write in a pet for Sasha Jackson.

Honey Boo Boo Bella

Reading & Writing

For many years, I was a die-hard mystery reader, about 1 or 2 books a week.  I even ran a book club for mystery lovers.  And, I was a judge for the Arthur Ellis awards and read ~50 books in four months!  Then I turned the hobby into academic study.  Then I began writing the Sasha Jackson mysteries.

I now find it very difficult to read mysteries.  As it is, I don't read much fiction, and when I do, it's less and less common that the book I pick up will be a whodunit. 

If I'm in writing mode, or in the planning stages of a new Sasha Jackson Mystery, then reading a mystery feels like work.  And, whether I'm in writing mode or not, reading fiction is not as relaxing as it once was.  I subconsciously pick it apart, edit and revise it in my head as I read, and wonder why the author said this or wrote that.

I don't seem to be this way (or, at least not nearly as much) with non-fiction.  I imagine that's because I don't write nonfiction (YET!!!) and because the subject matter(s) I read about are so varied that I'm busy learning about the Civil War, or Beer, or Memory rather than internally critiquing it.

Other Authors: how has writing shaped your own reading choices?

Recent Reads: Crow Einstein Snuff

This book will make you angry!  READ IT!  I learned a lot from it, and I've recommended it to several people.  It tells the other side of the story, one that needs to be discussed.  It's should be required reading at school.  But it's not all rosy praise here: The tone (especially in the first 1/4 or so) is a bit over-the-top.  As well, Alexander hammers home a point 16 ways to Sunday.  So, a bit of repetition and a dab of hyperbole aside, the points the book makes are good, solid, disturbing, worth knowing, and worth sharing.  Pick up a rock and look under it.

Fascinating! I can see why it's on the bestseller list.  Well-researched, full of interesting bits of trivia, told in a casual, conversational tone.Lots of colourful characters and quirky anecdotes are interspersed with history, psychology and the classics.  Read it.

This one didn't do it for me.  I wasn't offended by the subject matter, but I just didn't find it as funny as his other works. 

1st or 3rd?

It occurred to me last night that perhaps I need to tell the next Sasha story from a different point of view...  This idea is intriguing and scary and exciting.  The first 3 Sasha books were all done in 1st person (Sasha's voice), with a wee bit of 1st person from Mary Carmen in book #2.

Th nature of the plot for the current work-in-progress leads me to think that it may be better done with multiple viewpoints/narrators.

I haven't actually done anything with this idea yet - it would mean going back and re-writing entire sections.  But, it may be the solution to a tricky plot, and it would certainly give me a mental workout trying to write in a whole new voice.

Let's see...

Fab review of THE LIES HAVE IT

This review of THE LIES HAVE IT came in over the weekend, and it sure made me smile!  I am always happy to read a review, but it especially pleases me when reviewers pick up on my favourite aspects of the book(s).

The two things I love most about writing the Sasha Jackson books are 1) the main character, and 2) the setting.  I find those two facets of writing to be the easiest and most enjoyable to do.  (I also like writing dialogue, but have to remind myself to do it).

Anyhow, Helen Ginger's review starts off by saying "I like Sasha. She's tenacious," and ends with " I'd like to meet Sasha," so naturally, I was quite pleased.

As for the setting, well, Ginger says, "Edmondson makes Toronto come alive on the page. She makes me want to go there."  Praise for the setting doesn't get much better than this!

Read the whole review on Straight from Hel (and read many other great book reviews here as well).

NERD! Hardboiled Fiction, Women, and Academia

Hola!

Once in a while, I like to get in touch with my inner-nerd.  I did a lotta fancy book learning and wrote a bunch of essays for my BA and my MA.  Some of the MA papers had to do with crime fiction.  One of those papers is something I'm really quite proud of: It's an essay called From Spenser to Yeats: Feminism's  Version of the Hardboiled Sleuth is on the Wagon and Rides a Harley.  In it, I trace the birth and growth of the hardboiled dick from "down these mean streets..." to Kinsey Millhone, et al.  So, if you want to know a bit more about the genre, have a look at The Thrilling Detective website to read an abridged version of the paper.  I had a LOT of fun writing it! And (best of all!!!) I sent a copy of it to Lawrence Block and he wrote back: "I can see why you got an A"!!!

*** Mystery Fans:  You may want to bookmark The Thrilling Detective website.  It always has lots of interesting stuff related to crime fiction, from reviews to interviews to quotes and more...!  oxox

Sasha & Derek, Sasha & Mick, or Sasha & ...Sasha...?

Hmmm... Now that the 3rd Sasha Jackson Mystery is out, I'm starting to get some interesting feedback & fan responses about Sasha's love life.  Some readers (and reviewers) like Sasha more as a single chick, and some like the fact that she has a budding romance with the lawyer Derek Armstrong.

Background: 

In Blood and Groom Sasha was single and dateless.  Her ex-boyfriend (and former band-mate) Mick was sort of in the picture.  The two of them have (had) MAJOR chemistry, but just can't get along for long, outside of the bedroom (or offstage... and the  stage stuff has zilch to do with the bedroom stuff... in case you were wondering!!!)

Halfway through the 2nd book, Dead Light District, Sasha has a very passionate encounter with Derek, a lawyer she first met via her detective life, and with whom there has been much flirtation.  They finally get together... but...

In book 3, The Lies Have It, Sasha and Derek are involved, but he's away on a business trip for most of the book.

So... what should I do with her love life in the 4th book, Frisky Business?  I could keep their relationship going, dial it up or down a bit, or I could make her single again.

I would love your input!

Recent Reads: Alexander Fool Longitude Tongue

Moore always makes me laugh out loud!  This book explains the papacy (The Discount Pope & the Retail Pope - one offers cheesy bacon bits on the hosts), and it includes the lines "she honked my codpiece" and "strung together like anal beads from Hell's own bunghole."  It's an alternative and hilarious version of King Lear.  Loved it!

I've read many books on language, including another by Abley.  This one is a contemporary look at language via modern day lenses, such as Hip Hop & Rap and language, the Internet, and globalization/migration.
Lots of interesting factoids and examples.

You'd think that this would be dull as dishwater, but it's actually a fascinating story.  Put yourself in the headspace of a sailor in - let's say 1653 - and consider the challenges to seafaring back then.  No GPS devices, no ship-to-shore communications, and of course, challenges like food and health while at sea.
Figuring out longitude had a huge impact on sailing and exploration.  A really cool read!

Not the most exciting book ever but still a worthwhile read (if a book doesn't grab me enough I won't finish it).  The man himself was interesting (although anal), but the real catch here is the depiction of mental health way back when and how society dealt with law and order and people who didn't fit into expected social molds.  Interesting stuff here.

Hmmmm, so does *FREE* work?

I did a promotion for three days this week for Blood and Groom.  The ebook version of Blood and Groom was free on Kindle from March 20th to 22nd.  (It's now only $2.99.)

I've never done anything like this before, so I have nothing to compare the results to, but...

• More free Blood and Groom ebooks were downloaded in those three days than in the prior six months, so that's good! I reached a bunch of new readers!

• For all three of the promo days, Blood and Groom was in the Top 10 Hard-Boiled Mysteries list for the Kindle store, so that's also really good! 

• I promoted the freebie extensively on Twitter.  I had a lot of help and support from many friends, fellow authors and Tweeps.  The promotion netted me a bunch of new followers on Twitter (I'm @JillEdmondson) which is also good, since that broadens my circle.  *** A big THANK YOU to all the folks on Twitter who helped to spread the word ***

•  The promotion did net me a few actual sales, but not yet as many as I had hoped.  However, it may be premature to comment on that.  My gut tells me I should wait a couple weeks and give the folks who downloaded Blood and Groom a chance to read it, and then see if they come back to buy Dead Light District and/or The Lies Have It. 

• Facebook didn't seem to be terribly effective with this promotion.  I linked the freebie info to my own profile and also to the Sasha Jackson Mysteries FB Page.  I got a few "likes" and a couple of "shares" but not much else.  Interestingly, though, when someone else posted the promo info on HIS FB profile, it actually generated lots of activity and many comments! 

Some people may question the idea of giving it away for free when I could be selling it and making some $ on it.  I guess, at first blush, it seems like cutting in on your own sales.  However, Blood and Groom was first released in November 2009, so it has really run its course.  I still do sell  paperback copies of it when I do store events and such, but  the bulk of the sales came (of course) during the first 6 or 8 months of its life.  So, NO, I don't really think I'm cutting into my own sales.  I see it more as revitalizing them.

Would I try another freebie event? Yes, definitely!I'd like to do something similar - perhaps with Dead Light District or The Lies Have It, or maybe with a different platform.  I don't know yet, but I am definitely looking into it! 

Availability of Dead Light District: Correction

A number of retail websites that list Dead Light District say that it is unavailable, out of stock, cancelled and such.  These websites are mistaken about the book's availability.  You can get it from several sources, in either paperback or as an ebook.

The sites listing Dead Light District as unavailable, etc. also have other errors.  First of all, it is not a Dundurn book (a number of sites still wrongly list Dundurn as the publisher - Dundurn never published this book).  Furthermore, on many of these same sites, the cover of the book is shown as a black and white photo of a woman, from the waist down.  She's wearing a very short skirt and has fishnet stockings on, and she is holding a gun. This cover was never used; no book by me was ever published with this cover.  (For the record, I absolutely HATE that cover - it looks like soft-core porn or erotica.)  Finally, the release date is also wrong (it shows as Dec. 2010).

The correct info is this:  Dead Light District was published as a paperback and as an ebook by Iguana Books in March 2011.

Dead Light District is on KOBO and NOOK and AMAZON and can be ordered directly from ME or from the publisher IGUANA.

Recent Reads: Count Plum Moon Cream

This was an interesting read: science, politics, history.  Rumford made a difference and had an impact, yet his name is not well known (probably because he pissed off so many people).  Filled with lots of fun bits of trivia. 

I read everything in the Stephanie Plum series.  She is without a doubt one of my favourite characters. 
I love the escape and love having a good laugh as I read!

Wow!  This is one time that I can truly say a book is gripping, moving, compelling...
I was very teary-eyed by the end.  Read it!

Loved this latest mystery by Howard Shrier!  It really is a page-turner!  Jonah Gellar is a wonderful
character and a great PI - I look forward to the next installment in the series. 

Interview Round Up - So Very Different

 I am lucky to have done a few - four actually - interviews in the last while.  Even though the interviewers chatted the same author, about the same books, and about the same main character, each interview was distinct.  

First up was the one with Bill Selnes for Mysteries and More.   Bill has read and reviewed all three Sasha books.  Bill is also a practicing lawyer.  So, the lawyer side of him prompted some interesting questions.  Bill also posts his reflections in a separate post after publishing the interview.  I think it's really cool that he does that - I like reading his thoughts. Click here to read Q and A with Bill or click here for his reflections.I also love the fact that in his reviews, he picked up early on that Toronto is as much a character in my books as is Sasha or Lindsey or anyone else.  Thanks Bill! (If I ever get arrested and can only make one call, it would be to Bill Selnes).

Patricia Flewwelling interviewed me for Nine Day Wonder.  This is the only time I've been interviewed by someone I have actually met a couple of times (at book launches, Bloody Words, etc.).  She knows (and gets!) my sense of humour, so some of my answers are out in left field (Keith Richards & coconuts???) Check it out HERE.  I knew I could get away with being cheeky in this instance.  (If I ever want to collaborate with someone on writing a radio drama about Alfred E. Neuman, it would be Patricia.)

Paul D. Brazill interviewed me for "You Would Say That, Wouldn't You?" I like the range of questions Paul asked me, including questions about my own reading preferences, about social media, and about big dreams for the small screen.   Have a look at Paul's House of Ill Repute here.  (If I ever needed an alibi to cover me as part of planning the perfect crime, it would be Paul). 

Finally, Richard Godwin interviewed me at his Slaughter House.  I've got to say, Richard asked me some of the darkest and most diabolical questions I've yet been asked in an interview (about motives and motivations and other great stuff).  He made me think carefully about my answers.  Here is the link to the Chin Wag with Richard.  (If I ever need an accomplice to help me carry out the perfect crime, it would be Richard.)

A Review I Really Appreciate

The Lies Have It just got a super review by Bill Selnes on Mysteries and More .  My first two books were also reviewed by Bill on his site, and those reviews were favourable as well.  So, I am thumping my chest a bit (hee hee).

Besides doing a little happy dance, the reason I am writing about the review by Selnes is that - for all the books he reviews, not just mine - he gives specifics and details and examples and substance (But don't worry: he never gives away endings or spoilers). 

I've had many positive reviews for all three Sasha Jackson books, but in some cases, the review doesn't offer much in terms of WHY.  It's all well and good to know what a critic thought of a given work, but it's more interesting (and to me it's very helpful) to also know why a reviewer liked or didn't like something, whether it be a plot line or a character or what have you.  I try to repeat the things that work, and to avoid in future the stuff that rubs people the wrong way.

Another reviewer who does what Bill does is Amy Steele of  Entertainment Realm.  Full disclosure: Amy has also reviewed all three Sasha books favourably.  I regularly read Steele's reviews, and often pass them along to others. She often writes about books I've never heard of, and she does not focus exclusively on mystery fiction, but because of the detail Amy includes, she piques my interest quite a bit. (Steele also writes about music and movies and all things in the entertainment realm).    

So there you go: reviews with substance and specifics matter to me as both a reader and a writer.

Salsa and Terrorists and Canada Reads

The CBC hosts a book contest called Canada Reads.  In a nutshell, the contest encourages reading in general, but with a specific focus on Canadian authors.  Sounds good, right?  Promote literacy and promote domestic writers - should be a win/win.

This year, the theme for Canada Reads is on NONFICTION.

The general public nominates a bunch of books; the suggested titles are whittled down to a Top 40 list, then to a list of Ten Finalists.  Then things change a bit... when it gets down to the five books on the shortlist, five judges discuss the books on CBC radio throughout the week, and a book gets eliminated from the final five each day until there is a winner. (This is kind of like the literary equivalent of "Survivor").

For a list of the contenders, or for more info on Canada Reads, click HERE.

One of the books to make it to the shortlist of five is a memoir called Something Fierce by Carmen Aguirre. 

(UPDATE: Feb. 09th -  Carmen was announced as the winner/"Something Fierce" as the winning book on Canada Reads!!!)

On Monday, one of the book judges, a miserable old cow named Anne France Goldwater, made some really volatile comments about Something Fierce, and about one of the other finalists, The Prisoner of Tehran. 

Goldwater said the Tehran book was full of lies, and that Carmen Aguirre is a "terrorist who should never have been let in to Canada."

I find this all very interesting for a number of reasons.

First of all, I think Ms. Goldwater is doing a disservice to literacy and the arts and all those nebulous concepts.  Secondly, I think Goldwater has missed the point about being a book judge - she doesn't come across as fair and unbiased to me.  Thirdly, Carmen Aguirre was the main focus of the final thesis of my MA (completed in 2009 - before Carmen's memoirs were even published), so it's kind of interesting to see her name in the news so much these last few days (albeit for the wrong reasons...)

I really hope that Tehran and Something Fierce each experience a HUGE spike in sales as a result of the controversy stirred up the cranky old battleaxe Ms. Goldwater!!!

Relevant Links:

My MA thesis HERE or a shorter version of it HERE.


Feb. 06th - "Terrorist" article in the Globe and Mail HERE.
Feb. 07th - Miserable Hag defends her comments, in the Globe and Mail HERE.

One of my favourite comments in response to the Hag's defense of her stance (posted on the Globe & Mail online):

"She's a fat loud mouthed pig who is likely sexually frustrated and needs to get laid."

(Admittedly, this is an ad hominem attack, but in this case: SO WHAT?)

Another comment (online) that I really liked:

"She appears to have completely missed the point of Canada Reads - to encourage reading - not about panelists doing whatever it takes - including trashing the books and slandering their authors - to win a "debate". Is she an unmitigated narcissist or just obtuse?"

What on Earth are People Searching For...????

Okay, so I keep a close eye on the analytics and stats for this blog.  Most things I see in terms of pageviews, comments, traffic sources, and such are boring and contain little that I didn’t expect.

However, periodically, I get a bit surprised by a search term or the key words that ultimately landed someone on my blog.  In many cases, I can figure how an unusual combination of words or search terms led an Internet surfer to me, but other times, nope.  I’m baffled!

The easily explained (though still odd) terms include:

• “fetish bdsm cake”

• “bdsm knife play”

Each of the above could have something to do with “The Lies Have It” and/or the launch party for it. 

The search term “spelling bee falacio” is directly related to a blogpost I did ages ago. (It was a character background of Sasha Jackson as a kid, and it also included a mention of the CN Tower).

As well, I did a post not too long ago about cool/funny book marks, so that post probably explains the following two search terms:

• “bookmarks for your book that says cruz” (No idea what 'cruz' is about...)

• “whodunit charming bookmark” (Yeah, some of the pics I added to the post were kind of charming...)

But then there are the key words that really boggle my mind; these are search terms that seem like they’ve come from outer space.  A few examples:

• “douglas cork murderer” (Huh...?)
• "bryan adams unibrow" (Huh again...?)
• “biggest ruffle chip” (This is my all time favourite!)
• “nut bolt art xxx” (Perhaps related to the character profile I did of Mimi-Minerva?)
• “mature female sex tourism” (The idea of sex tourism infuriates me, so seeing this one in my top search terms that day or that week really rankled me... Am at a loss as to which blogpost could have had similar words.  I’d change it if I could figure out which post it relates to...)
• "collectibles american road signs" (what...?)
• "apostle thomas rod" (I have no idea...)
• "van johnson actor and marilyn monroe on train" (wtf???)
• "whiskey makes me frisky" (Ooooh! I like this one!)
• "google earth pics funny xxx" (Okay, whatever...)

So, there you go.  That’s a random snapshot of things some people think (hope?) they’ll find on this blog.   I wonder how they react when they find out the blog is about mysteries and writing...

Mustard, Lasagna, and Apostles: Interview with author Richard Godwin

Jill: “Apostle Rising.” Love the title!  Give me the one sentence pitch for the novel. 

Richard:  You have just met the darkest hybrid imaginable and your world will never be the same again.

Jill:  More on titles.  Some of your story titles include: “I’m a Lasagna Hog,””Go Hang a Salami,” “Kentucky Ketchup,” “Okie Onion,” and “Fresh Bacon.”  Do you write when you’re hungry?  I’m suddenly craving a hoagie.

Richard:  No I think food is essential to narratives, we are all part of the feast, the question is who is the host?

Jill: In addition to writing short stories and a novel, you’ve also written a play. “The Cure-All” was staged in London.  Is it hard to switch between forms/styles/genres of writing?

Richard:  I love doing it. The truth be told if I had to write one genre all the time I would get bored.  I like my writing to stay fresh, vital, like freshly baked bread.

Jill:  You’ve published a number of works in online periodicals.  What is the most satisfying thing about publishing on the internet versus in good old dead-tree print?

Richard:  I think it’s the feedback. There is an army of fine readers out there who are immensely supportive.

Jill: You’re a member of “International Thriller Writers.” What have your learned about your craft from this organization?

Richard:  It’s not so much a matter of learning from them. It’s more a useful vehicle for getting your name out there, as is the CWA, which I am also a member of.

Jill:  What has been the most surprising thing to you about the business side of publishing?

Richard:  Learning that the distributor is key.

Jill:  Somewhere in a desk drawer or at the back of a closet, you probably have an early, unfinished draft of something from when you were just starting out.  What unfinished project would you like to finish someday?

Richard:  There is a novel about a retired Detective who moves to the English countryside. Say no more but a nod is as good as a wink to a blind bat.

Jill:  What authors have influenced you the most?

Richard:  Dostoyevsky and Leonard.

Jill: What part(s) of writing (i.e. plot, dialogue, character, etc.) are most fun for you to work on? 

Richard:  When the novel comes alive and takes on its own route.  You have to listen to what the characters are telling you.

Jill:  You’ve got a lot of stories out there, and it’s almost unfair to put you on the spot, but I’m going to anyway:  Name two of your favourite works.

Richard:  In terms of online publications The Mustard Man and Pony Trip.

Jill: The last question is kind of a freebie: What question do you wish I had asked you? Now go ahead and ask & answer that question.

Richard:  What do I see as the future of publishing?

The breakdown of the economically driven search and sell mechanism that has reduced sales to celebrity books that are not fit to read, eventually this will change. And I say this as someone who has been traditionally published and continues to be.  The big houses got greedy and fat and lazy and stupid. Apostle Rising sold foreign rights as a debut, so it has been successful as a first novel.  I think the E Book will shake things up. It will make the industry re-evaluate what publishing is really about. Economics dictates certain lines of reasoning. And decisions based on it are not in favour of Art.

For more on Richard Godwin, check out his website or follow him on Twitter @stanzazone 

Richard's books are available on Amazon, Barnes and Noble, and many other sources.

Awesome review of "The Lies Have It" in the Globe & Mail!!!

The Lies Have It


By Jill Edmondson, Iguana, 252 pages, $11.95

Been to a fetish party lately? Even if you aren’t a habitué, you’ll like this stylish, smart novel set in Toronto’s downtown arts and culture scene.

This series, featuring aspiring musician-turned-private eye Sasha Jackson, has been optioned for television and it has all the hallmarks of success. There is a winsome PI, a sexy cop for a potential love interest and Hogtown as we would all love it to be: racy, witty and full of interesting, polymorphous perversity.

The mystery is a nicely plotted whodunit, but the real charm here is the setting. Edmondson, a communications professor, knows her town intimately. Even better, she knows how readers want it to be.

Review by Margaret Cannon.  Link to the Globe and Mail review column here.

You can order "The Lies Have It' on Amazon here.

Flash Fiction: Interview with Paul D. Brazill, author of 13 Shots of Noir

Jill: Writing is a fairly new vocation for you; your bio says you began writing flash fiction and short stories in 2008.  What took you so long?

Paul: It’s something that I’d wanted to for a long time but never got around to. I’ve always been a procrastinator, though I’ve heard it makes you go blind. 

Anyway, at the end of 2008 I discovered a handful of online venues for flash fiction. Most notably, Six Sentences and Powder Burn Flash. I realised that I may actually finish something if I wrote a piece for one of those places. And I did, which was a shock in itself. What was more shocking was that the pieces were accepted and received some good feedback. So I just kept on at it!

Jill: You’ve written quite a number of short stories.  Where do you get your inspiration?

Paul: I just take snippets and slices of life and take them to a more absurdist extreme.

Jill:  “13 Shots of Noir”, “Drunk on the Moon...” -  Alcohol and references to intoxication are a predominant theme in hardboiled crime fiction.  Why do you think this is? 

Paul: These stories are about people in extreme situations. Usually normal people trying to cope with extreme situations. Or abnormal people trying to cope with ordinary situations, maybe.

Booze is the most commonly available anaesthetic for the aches and pains of life and it can, of course, make a bad situation a lot worse, which lends a story more possibilities for twists and turns into dark corners.

Also, ‘Noir’ in particular is about people knowingly boarding a runaway train that’s bound for disaster, which is what intoxication is, more than somewhat.

Jill:  What is the most satisfying thing about being an author?

Paul: Well, I  certainly don’t consider myself an author –more a dilettante - but doing anything that puts a smile on people’s faces is pretty satisfying.

Jill:  The flip-side of the last question: What is the most frustrating thing about being an author?

Paul: To me, it’s only a positive thing. It’s not working down a mine.

Jill:  What can you tell me about your work(s)-in-progress?

Paul: A  few things at the moment but the first finished will probably be a novella with the working title The Hit Man and Her, which features a private eye character that  I created called Peter Ord. Ord gets his first ‘proper’ case and black comedy and slice-of -life absurdity ensue.

I’m also fiddling with Guns Of Brixton, a novella that’s due to come out from Pulp Press later this year.

Jill:  Writing crime fiction is tough: playing fair with the reader, coming up with motives, researching ballistics and police procedures... I can only imagine how much harder this is to do in the limited space of a short story versus a novel.  Or maybe the length makes it easier?  What are your thoughts on this?

Paul: Well, although my stories take place in a crime fiction milieu, I don’t think most of them are proper crime fiction as such. The plot is always a McGuffin to me, for example and I’m sure a fan of someone like Ian Rankin or Val McDermot would feel very, very short changed by my stuff. Even when I read crime fiction I don’t pay that much attention to things such as  ‘ballistics or police procedures’ so I can’t imagine spending time researching it. It’s my own world, no matter how realistic it is. It’s not Robert Fisk!

Jill:  Is writing dialogue fun or a challenge?

Paul: Always great fun but I suspect I avoid writing flat, informative dialogue, as I avoid reading it.

Jill:  Who are some of your favourite characters in crime and detective fiction?

Paul:  Highsmith’s Tom Ripley, Jim Thompson’s Lou Ford, Sherlock Holmes, Ray Banks’ Cal Innes. Normal, well-adjusted people.

Jill:  Taking over for a dead guy:  Robert B. Parker completed and added to the works of Raymond Chandler.  Vincent Lardo carried on the “Archy McNally” series started by Lawrence Sanders.  Robert Goldsborough added to the “Nero Wolfe” series by Rex Stout.  What are your thoughts on this? 

Paul: Sounds like a lot of hard work, doesn’t it? But why not? The BBC and Guy Ritchie have both got different spins on Sherlock at the moment and both work, on their own terms. Not much fun for purists, I suppose, but purists should just stick to the original books. Or get out more.

Jill:  Some wildly successful authors now partner with (or subcontract to?) other, lesser known authors.  What are your thoughts on this?  (James Patterson is a prime example).

Paul: Again, why not? A piece of writing is only finished when someone reads it and the name of the writer should really only mean as much as the typeface. I handed over my werewolf PI Roman Dalton to a number of writers for a series of short stories under the Drunk On The Moon banner and a veritable cornucopia of interesting stories came out of it.

Jill:  What was the best bit of writing advice you ever received?

Paul: I try not to give or take advice!

Jill: The last question is kind of a freebie: What question do you wish I had asked, but didn’t?  Now go ahead and ask and answer that question.

Paul: Q: Which crime books, films or television shows have floated your boat recently?

Answer:

TV: The recent BBC Sherlock series was great  fun.

Film: The Australian film Snowtown was fantastic, though incredibly bleak.

Books: Graven Image by Charlie Williams was in turns delirious and realistic but completely of its own world.

Thanks much for the interview!

For more on Paul's thoughts and his writing, check out his blog:  

http://pdbrazill.blogspot.com
or follow him on Twitter @PaulDBrazill

Find Paul's works on Amazon.

Recent Reads: Wicked Newton Shepherd Sugar

Wicked Appetite by Janet Evanovich
I read just about everything Evanovich puts out.  Her books a pure fun, escapism... Cotton Candy for the brain!

Newton and the Counterfeiter by Thomas Levenson
A fascinating story about the other - lesser known - career of Sir Isaac Newton.

The Killer of Little Shepherds by Douglas Starr
Basically, this is the history of forensics.  Should be required reading for all crime or mystery writers!

Sugar: The Grass that Changed the World by Sanjida O'Connell
The first 3/4 of the book were really interesting: ancient history of sugar, plantations, sugar and the colonies.  The last section of the book is on sugar and the body, and on sugar and government regulations (re: trade) and those topics are not really of interest to me.  But the colonial days and plantation economies, etc. made for excellent reading!