A Few Questions with Mary Anna Evans--

Shortly before our last book club, I decided I'd chance a quick email to writer Mary Anna Evans about her book Findings. It is a newer edition of her Faye Longchamp mysteries after reading her website (her photo comes from that site). I had hoped to hear from her at some time but she was able to write back shortly after I had emailed her.

I asked four questions and I shared her responses with the book club. I'll do the same here:

What do you hope we talk about with the book club regarding your book?

FINDINGS is an interesting place to start my series, if your members haven't read my work before. I write all my books so that they can be read independently, but FINDINGS is the culmination of the slowly developing relationship between Faye and Joe, so it's special to me because of that. I was also very fond of my historical couple, Jedediah and Viola. They were fun to write and people seem to respond well to them. My books are mysteries. To me, mystery is the literature of justice, in the way that some people call science fiction the literature of ideas. In a mystery, the world is set akew and it takes everything the protagonist has got to make things right. Things are not as they were--the victim is still dead--but justice has been done in a way that isn't always possible in real life. In a mystery, you can explore the boundaries of justice and right and wrong; what is just is not always right, and what is right is not always just. So, if asked what my first three mysteries were about, I would say, "Justice." Imagine my surprise when I wrote the last chapter of FINDINGS and realized that this book was not about justice. It was about love. There is no character who is not touched, for good or ill, by romantic love.

I've been looking at your previous interviews and user friendly webpage for talking points for the book club. Any special challenges for writing this book?

This book took me back to the setting of my first book, ARTIFACTS, so I didn't have to create a new setting. I did, however, need to communicate the setting and the recurring characters to people who hadn't read ARTIFACTS, without boring long-time readers. And I had to decide how to resolve Faye's and Joe's relationship...or whether to resolve it at all.

What is your writing and book promotion schedule like?

When my daughter is in school, I write from the time I take her to school until it's time to pick her up--basically 8 to 3. On non-school days, it's very hard for me to get creative work done, but I'll write then if I'm on deadline. More often, I do business or promotional work during the time when I can't be alone in the house. I promote heavily during the first few months after a book comes out, then I focus more on writing the next book. I still do events, but I tend to just go where I'm invited, instead of actively seeking appearances. It works out to about an event a month.

And how did you come to write mysteries?

I write in many genres, but Faye's stories are the ones that captured the attention of my publisher. And I'm glad, because I enjoy writing Faye. She's become almost like my invisible twin. :-)

[Hope this helps! Mary Anna]

Yes, it does. Thanks.

Mystery Graphic Novel

One of my job responsibilities has been to process new graphic novels coming to my library branch and recently I ran across the title Britten and Brulightly, an engaging yet somber graphic novel of a private detective named Fernandez Britten. Set in England, this noir title follows the Ecuador native (you look like you're French, he's told) as he latches on to a possible murder case of a man judged to have died by suicide. Britten, who describes himself as a "researcher" and is nicknamed "The Heartbreaker" for handling numerous cases of couples and infidelity.

The story follows the expected private investigator fiction traits of secretive snooping and personal threats or attacks. The book also goes an unexpected route with Britten's partner, Brulightly, who is not just another body to help manage a case.

Muted colors and the frequent rainfalls add to the gloomy mood of Hannah Berry's book, but why not? This is just not the type of situation to find people with a sunny disposition, although Berry successes in presenting a memorable graphic novel.

Local writer doing good--

During a recent short family trip--or an attempt at slipping in a few mental health days--we hit the road for South Carolina beaches (the hotel was on the beach) and I was pleased to find a local mystery writer had her works on prominent display at the hotel's gift shop. Writer Kathryn R. Wall had a nice display with autographed copies of books from her "Bay Tanner Mystery" series.

I was pleased to see that since I believe this is an excellent way to give a visitor a quick and lasting (you can keep the book) flavor of the local community. (And it worked in my case, I purchased the first book of the series.)

Wall's books are set in the coastal South Carolina area which is where she currently resides with her husband in their retirement home. I was also glad to find her titles on shelves of my library at work.

This pix of Wall is one from her website and book jackets and her "Bay Tanner" series is reaching the double digits in number of novels with Covenant Hall earlier this year.

Book Club discusses "Stranger Room"

[This post was started in May but got delayed.] In May, the book club had a great surprise for its book discussion session as it was joined by writer Frederick Ramsay, the author of Stranger Room our book selection for the month. And the meeting was quite different for us as Ramsay joined by conference call from his home in Arizona. This is the first time we've hosted a guest author by phone.

Thankfully, everything went very well--handling the conference call with our phones, etc.-- and I believe we talked for about 40 minutes or so. Here's an author photography from the his website. Also, Ramsay contacted the group about speaking to us as he happened to google his name and found that we had his book scheduled for May. I was never more surprised then when I actually received that first call from Mr. Ramsay.

Ramsay is the author of the "Ike Schwartz mystery" series and Stranger Room (published last year) is his newest until Choker hit the book stores and library shelves just recently. Schwartz is the sheriff in a fictional rural Virginia mountain community which is his actual hometown. Following a stint in the CIA, Schwartz is back in Picketsville, Va., and works to shape up a badly-managed sheriff's department.

In Stranger Room, the death of a traveler to the town nearly mirrors the unexplained death of another in same building--now a possible historical local attraction--and to solve the crime will take a long trip back almost 150 years before the Civil War.

Also, as I wrote earlier the conservation went on for nearly most our time and here are some of the things our guest author shared:

• he is "retired and writing for fun" with the typical goal of writing a novel within three months by producing a chapter a day


• as Ramsay started his writing career, his wife assisted him by typing his work but not these days as she is a full-time student


• he says he hates research when writing novels and says he'll fake some matters and "make things up"


• "it is hard to edit your own stuff" and you have to recognize the book's story needs to move along


• as books make a profit, the book publishers will ask for more books


• on the disappointing side, "people aren't buying books, especially young people" (for instance, at book signings the attendees appear to be 45-years-old and older)


• when writing, "the hardest challenge is to make each book better and to not repeat" a story


• while writing this series, Ramsay says he develops the characters one book at a time and doesn't plan ahead where the characters should "wind up"


• when asked about having input on book covers, he said it depends but his suggestions were used for what to show for Stranger Room cover.

Ramsay definitely won us over after we finished our discussion with his healthy dose of wit, clear-thinking judgment and good prose. Again, (as I said that night) thanks for calling and your time, Frederick Ramsay.

The "Booklists" are complete--

After flipping through old printouts of book club material going back several years, I believe I have compiled my final list of book club selections. That is, I have listed on the blog's sidebars (to the left) the entire list of books the book club has read over the years. The book club started in November 2001 with an initial meeting and, luckily, has been going steadily since then with monthly sessions.

Unfortunately, I have missed a date or two in 2002 and 2003 but I'm a little impressed as I look at all the titles read, including a true crime book early on (Mississippi Mud: Southern Justice and the Dixie Mafia by Edward Humes) and award winners like the first book selection (Edgar winner, The Bottoms by Joe R. Lansdale).

And as I wrote in a recent post, the book club would regularly have "open dates" without assigned titles for the entire group and I didn't list each one for the book lists. So, looking back, I'm surprised how the time has flew by--it has been fun.

Open Book Club Date--

Last week, the book club had one of its "open dates" for a meeting without any assigned book title. It is as I say, a session to select your own title and to come to discuss it for the group.

It can be a good way to mix things up, to read and discuss a title you'd personally like to share, to select something offbeat and to get a greater variety of books included in the book club.

The mystery books we discussed were as follows:

• The September Society by Charles Finch--a follow-up to the British mystery with freelance detective Charles Lenox [the book club read and discussed the author's first book the previous month]


• Choker by Frederick Ramsay--the newest book in the series with Sheriff Ike Schwartz in rural Virgina [the book club read and discussed the author's previous book The Stranger Room for the May book club and a previously delayed post will cover the book discussion]


• The Trail of the Wild Rose by Anthony Eglin--the next book in the series with retired botany professor (and amateur sleuth) Lawrence Kingston


• Walla Walla Suite by Anne Argula--the second book to feature Quinn an ex-cop, now a private investigator in Seattle


• The Dante Club by Matthew Pearl--this historical fiction debut tells of the pursuit of a serial killer in Boston following the end of the Civil War by a literary club which is matching the deaths to its translation of Dante's Inferno for the American public.
  

Book Club discusses "A Beautiful Blue Death"

Last month the book club discussed a title set during the infancy of the Scotland Yard with Charles Finch's A Beautiful Blue Death. This mystery is the first of a series to feature a well-to-do, freelance detective of the 1860s named Charles Lenox. The book was published in 2007 and here's a pix of Finch from his website.

The book jacket dubs this book as "equal parts Sherlock Holmes, Gosford Park, and P. G. Wodenhouse" and it appears to have its aims well placed.

In the story, Charles takes an assignment from his close friend, Lady Jane, to investigate the death of servant Prudence Smith--a former employee of Lady Jane--when it appears she has committed suicide. His investigation, though, leads him another direction to suspect that Smith was murdered by a unique poison. As Charles continues, he enlists the help of resourceful allies while bypassing Scotland Yard (mostly) and endearing himself to Lady Jane.

Now, as I recall, the group as a whole liked the book. Responses to the book included:

• the story was the type of mystery one attendee really enjoyed reading


• Charles and Lady Jane's relationship although close, it could be the same as if between a gay man and straight woman (one take)


• Charles led a very relaxed, pampered life as a Victorian gentleman and would be very ill-suited to work as a detective on a full-time basis


• Charles enlists his valet Graham to assist with the investigation and the two men share a relationship which occasionally crosses class lines--very unlikely it was suggested


• a filmed version of this novel could be a good period piece but would drag along otherwise


• how Charles managed to be independently wealthy without an apparent livelihood was curious


• the story almost takes a long tangent of political discourse during the period when the novel veers back to the central story (the author does have a background in politics)

One attendee also had a copy of the next book in the series The September Society that night.

When your writing hand breaks--

With a busy month, I have--to my chagrin--neglected to post to this blog (oh no!) I always attempt to post once a week which I consider reasonable. This month, it certainly did not happen.

I don't want to say my writing hand broke but I did catch myself taking a breather.

As a reminder of such I found an apropro article in the newspaper courtesy of the New York Times about blogs going by the way side by some writers. In addition to its reasoned information about some blogs biting the dust, it nicely features a mystery writer Judy Nicholas (her most recent is the paperback Tree Huggers if you check Amazon). It appeared that the passion, Ms. Nicholas started with the blog cooled (possibly) and writing for a novel took precedence.

Internet Radio Show "Mystery Matters"

Looking at mystery writer Maggie Bishop's website [see below], I checked her webpage of personal appearances and saw it included an interview on May 15th. More specifically, it says: Radio interview by Fran Stewart on Mystery Matters internet radio.

Mystery Matters?

Well, checking Fran Stewart's webpage I found a link to "Mystery Matters: Where Murder is an Open Book." It is an hour-long, weekly radio show hosted by the award-winning mystery writer Stewart with interviews and discussions about all types of mysteries. (Stewart writes the "Biscuit McKee" mystery series--a librarian and amateur sleuth in Georgia--with the newest title Indigo as an Iris. The webpage includes a search show option which would lead me to the "Maggie Bishop interview" I mentioned earlier.

This radio show airs on Fridays at 10 a.m. EST on the VoiceAmerica, talk radio network. And as one who listens to talk radio on the internet anyway (along with other programming), I'm glad to catch on this show which is PC keystrokes away.

Traveling through the Appalachians--

With the vacation season rapidly coming into full tilt, stories with a sense of community and adventure are appreciated and writer Maggie Bishop manages that with her North Carolina mountains stories. Her newest book was released last year and I found on my library's new fiction shelf weeks ago--Perfect for Framing.

Bishop's author website (which includes this photo) says: In Perfect for Framing, the second in the Appalachian Adventures Mystery series, CSI wannabe, Jemma Chase, has carpentry skills that lead to fire, a peeping Tom, truck trouble and a body. Jemma knows it wasn't an accident but tangles with Detective Tucker about the meaning of clues. The first book was Murder at Blue Falls: the Horse Found the Body and published in 2006.

In fact, during a recent trip to Asheville I remember browsing through mysteries at a bookshop and thinking that a local writer should have a book there...

All the same, I'm glad to discover Ms. Bishop's now and I look forward to listening to her as this month's participant on Mystery Matters.

From a(nother) Desk Calendar

A co-worker passed on a entry from her calendar months ago and I've held on it, guessing it might be useful at some point. Her calendar, the Book Lover's Calendar for 2009 has daily picks for recommended books and/or authors.

The date I have is for January 27th for two titles by Ian Sansom. In a nice synopsis from Booklist, it reads: British author Ian Sansom (The Impartial Recorder) gives us a hilarious mystery series set in north Ireland and starring Israel Armstrong, a bumbling, lovable vegetarian nebbish of a librarian who takes a mobile library.

Hence, the "mobile mystery series" is born with the first two titles The Case of the Missing Books and Mr. Dixon Disappears mentioned on the calendar entry. (Here's a pix of the first book,) My library has those titles and a third, newer one, The Book Stops Here from last year. It is also a book, I've noticed on our library's "new fiction" display downstairs. All book titles are paperbacks.

The Pix of the Week (from my desk calendar)...

For several years, I've purchased a weekly engagement calendar to prop up on my desk at work to keep up with events and to use for note taking during an occasional meeting. Typically, it would some sort of art, I love Claude Monet's work. This year, though, I purchased Jill Krementz's The Writer's Desk 2009 Calendar--it has great black and white photographs of famous authors--and this week I have photo and quote from writer Elemore Leonard. Here's a photo from the author's website.

And if I remember correctly, I did mention to my library's mystery book club that during a 2005 Time magazine interview, Leonard was described as being "the greatest living writer of crime fiction" by the New York Times. The calendar features Leonard quoting: If it sounds like writing, I rewrite it.

A "Mystery 101" Column for All

I peeked through the newest Booklist magazine--an American Librarian Association publication--and found an enjoyable column about mystery books for the librarian and general reader alike. Joyce Saricks, adjunct faculty member of Dominican University and writer, dubs her newest column a sort of "Mystery 101 for readers."

Saricks is author of Readers' Advisory Service in the Public Library and nicely nails down the popularity and wide appeal of mysteries here. This is a well-constructed, quick read for those whom may even read crime fiction all the time.

Book Club discusses "The Good Thief's Guide to Paris"

This month the book club read and discussed Chris Ewan's The Good Thief's Guide to Paris [a mystery]. The second of a new series--the first is The Good Thief's Guide to Amsterdam--continues the escapades of mystery writer and professional thief Charlie Howard. Here's a googled photo of writer Ewan.

The fictional roving Englishman Howard is on a book tour in France when he boldly takes a challenge to show how to break into an apartment. Rather, he takes the challenge after drinking too much wine with a new acquaintance.

Charlie pulls it off and soon he approached to break in the same apartment again--this time, to steal an oil painting. OK--Charlie is in his element--but things spin out of control when he discovers a dead body in his living room and he concludes he can't go to the police about the crime. Against the odds, he tries to clear his name while sinking deeper into art thefts.

The book was well-liked. Here are a few quick observations:

• Charlie enjoys success as a thief by working within a certain range of risk
  

• Charlie's books enjoy moderate success but it's suggested he has yet to reach his potential as a writer


• one book clubber said the writing on occasion seemed to awkward in the novel (the phrasing of sentences) while another said for English writers the sentences appear typical


• the novel takes the proper tone of not taking the story too seriously.

Fun note: with Ewan's next book, Charlie Howard will come stateside for a story set in Las Vegas.

"How Can I Keep Up With the Newest Books at the Library?"

In so many words, I was asked that question at my book club last week in regards to keeping up with new books at the library from authors that one may want to follow. Fortunately, the public library has a new convenient way to handle through your PC.

Wowbrary is a new resouce for weekly emails (or RSS) billed as providing information about "the newest stuff at your library (i.e. books, music CDs and DVDs)." On the website homepage, it also boasts of offering the advance of early notification of titles and the option to reserve bestsellers instantly. To begin, you provide your email address for the sign up page.

In the Charlotte area, go here to see our public library version of Wowbrary. The website is under the "Catalog Search" section and under the small heading "New Items." If you look closely, you will find "New Items" but this attractive resource doesn't get much promotion. Look and I think you're consider the website's layout is very user friendly too with its sections for top choices, dvds, recreation, personal growth, young people and more.

For the library user who has be up to date with new books and media this is just what the doctor ordered.

Updating "About Me"

When I started this blog, I did not think about incorporating myself as a focal fixture within the blog. The blog is about the book club, mystery books and books in general. So, I had decided to skip a photograph of myself and to have a very short "About Me" entry. And in case you've never noticed, About Me is on the right hand side of this blog page at the bottom.

However, it you look at the revised "About Me" entry--you can see I changed my mind. Recently, I read about the advantage of providing a fuller entry for readers to understand why the blog exists. Point taken. As a result, I decided to give more background about how the book club started with my involvement.

Hope it's interesting.

Now regarding the photo--that comes from playing copycat to the writer's photos which accompany their books (some are quite showy). In particularly, I'd say I roughly modelled my picture on two writer's photographs featuring Ross McDonald (in the hat) and Robert Crais (in the shades) as shown here.

Funny, clever and cute

In the book club selection this month of Chris Ewan's The Good Thief's Guide to Paris, I give credit him a good sense of wit. Late into this mystery novel, his protagist Charlie Howard describes one truly unique character as being "a good few hardbacks short of a full library, if you know what I mean."

Good line--or else I missed this joke during library school...

Book Club discusses "Death of a Cozy Writer"

This month, the book club read and discussed the first of new series Death of a Cozy Writer: a St. Just mystery.

Writer G.M. Malliet, a former journalist, won the Malice Domestic Grant for this title. The grant is awarded to unpublished writers for traditional mysteries following in the tradition of a Agatha Christie novel--that is the setting is within a confined setting of people who know each other in a novel without explicit sex or excessive gore or violence. Here's a pix of Malliet from her website.

Death of a Cozy Writer is set in Cambridgeshire, England (where Malliet also lives) with the unsettling activities of a wealth writer's planned remarriage and the negative reaction by his adult children. The writer, Sir Adrian Beauclerk Fisk, has build a successful book series with an Agatha Christie-type character. As a result, he may offer his children Ruthven, Sarah, Albert or George a wealthy inheritance upon his death. Instead, he toys with that possibility and changes his written will at whim--showing contempt to all his children. Tragically, during a major family gathering for the engagement announcement, one in the party is found dead.

With almost a third of the story told, Detective Chief Inspector St. Just enters the novel.

Here are some takes on the novel:

• DCI St. Just has an amazing gift of deduction to solve the case--he appears to shortcut the investigation process...


• the novel has its share of humor but not the sort of British humour some readers would expect (except for the laughable American character who tries too hard to fit in) and it struck me as being "catty" too often


• the "Cast of Characters" in the front of the book was nice for the reader


• the book was nicely written


• as a murder occurs in a eighteenth-century Cambridgeshire manor to bring the police to the location, the family and others remain there during the investigation and--unfortunately--another death occurs there so it was suggested the people should have been moved


• the most shadowy and seldom seem character,Violet Mildenhall was judged the most interesting because of her unique background


• the favoritism which Adrian displays to some of his children at times, and disapproval more often, raised a long discussion about favoritism in real families and how the issue is handled in fair and biased manners.

Overall, the book was judged as a OK but not noteworthy.

Two book reviews on library podcast--

I think this is ironic timing. I discovered at work last week while my voice had pretty much left me and I was reduced to whispering--the results of a cold--that a podcast session I recorded last year is now available. That is, I recorded a segment for a monthly podcast recording for the library system's "Reader's Club" website. One librarian hosts the sessions and invites others to participate.

My contribution are two book reviews from two previous book club meetings last year for Terry Hoover's Double Dead and Jesse Kellerman's The Genius in the month of February.

I had hoped to incorporate podcasts with this blog for months (and months) but I really haven't yet. It is still in the plans though.

You Decide: Likable Characters Needed?

I paused for a moment while listening to a radio interview with author Zoe Heller, promoting her new book The Believers. [Here's a pix of her which accompanies this National Public Radio story on the web.] She makes the point of explaining her work by saying "My hope, at least, is that I write difficult, complicated but sympathetic characters."

And to further stress this, she continues [in a forceful tone] "I'm slightly irritated by what I think is a kind of modern demand for characters you can root for, characters you would like to be friends with. Speaking as a reader, I have to say that some of my favorite characters in literature are some of the nasty ones." Those comments caught me as I hear during book club sessions about novels with unlikeable characters.

Being in a book club focusing on mysteries (i.e. crime stories), how do we reconcile this? It--frequently, it seems with my book club--comes up that a novel doesn't have any likable characters. Is it a must to have a character to at least root for (redeemable wouldn't be strong enough here) to have a good reading experience? Or should readers just accept that too many fictional characters operate from their own their own selfish, narrow or jaded interests and that's their lives?

What do you think?