Beth Groundwater

On Vacation!

2012-01-13T05:00:00.002-07:00

From January 14 - 28, I'm taking a vacation from blogging. Please check back on January 30th or 31st, and you'll find out what I've been up to. ;-)

A Wild Ride!

2012-01-12T05:30:00.001-07:00

Today I'm over at Inkspot, the blog for Midnight Ink authors, talking about the wild ride I took when Amazon picked Deadly Currents for their Kindle Daily Deal on January 6th. Read all about it, and let me know what you think!

Today's Mystery Author Guest: Lois Winston

2012-01-10T05:00:00.000-07:00

As promised yesterday, fellow Midnight Ink mystery author Lois Winston is visiting my blog today. To read her bio and see her photo, please page down to yesterday's post.

Above is the cover photo for her most recent book, Death By Killer Mop Doll, the second book in the Anastasia Pollack Crafting Mystery series. In the book, overdue bills and constant mother vs. mother-in-law battles at home are bad enough. But crafts editor Anastasia Pollack's stress level is maxed out when she and her fellow American Woman editors get roped into unpaid gigs for a revamped morning TV show. Before the glue is dry on Anastasia's mop dolls, morning TV turns crime drama when the studio is trashed and the producer is murdered. Former co-hosts Vince and Monica—sleazy D-list celebrities—stand out among a lengthy lineup of suspects, all furious over the show's new format. And Anastasia has no clue her snooping has landed her directly in the killer's unforgiving spotlight.

Below is Lois's guest post about giving thanks. Please leave a comment for Lois to let her know what you think, and feel free to ask her any questions you want about the post, her books, or her life as a writer.

First, I’d like to thank my fellow Midnight Inker, Beth Groundwater, for inviting me back to her blog as part of my month-long tour in celebration of the release of Death By Killer Mop Doll, the second book in my Anastasia Pollack Crafting Mysteries.

Life for me has been rather chaotic the last couple of months, as I’m sure it’s been for most of you. Chaos goes hand-in-hand with the holidays, especially if it involves traveling lately. In addition to Thanksgiving, Christmas, and New Year’s, I was gearing up for the release of Death By Killer Mop Doll and my January blog tour. Oh, and then there was not only a book deadline but a major design deadline.

Sometimes when we have so much to juggle, we get lost in the details and forget the things that really matter most. So today I’d like to take the time to say thank-you.

Thank-you to all the readers out there who fall in love with our characters and continue to buy our books. Where would we be without you?

Thank you to my fellow Midnight Inkers. You are truly a fine bunch of writers, and I feel honored to know all of you virtually and some of you personally. I hope I’ll have the good fortune to meet more of you in person in the future.

Thank you to all the people -- the editors, designers, artists, sales force, and publicists -- who take our manuscripts, transform them into books, and make sure they land on bookstore shelves.

Thank you to the booksellers and librarians who tell readers about our books.

Thank you to my agents for being my champions.

Thank you to all my friends and family (you know who you are) who have encouraged me throughout my writing career.

In the song For Good from the musical Wicked, Elphaba, the Wicked Witch, and Glinda, the Good Witch, are saying good-bye to each other for the last time. Glinda tells Elphaba that she’s heard people come into each others’ lives for a reason and that knowing Elphaba has shaped her into the person she’s become. Elphaba tells Glinda that she’ll always be a part of her, like a handprint on her heart. Thank you to all the people who have left a handprint on this writer’s heart.

Are there people who have left handprints on your heart? Post a comment, and you could win one of 5 signed copies of Death By Killer Mop Doll that I’m giving away as part of my blog tour this month. The full tour schedule can be found at my website, and the Killer Crafts & Crafty Killers blog. In addition, I’m giving away 3 copies of Death By Killer Mop Doll on Goodreads.

Also, for anyone attending The American Library Association’s Mid-Winter conference January 20-24 in Dallas, Midnight Ink will be raffling off the hand-crafted mop doll shown in my photo below during the opening reception Friday evening. Register for the drawing at the Midnight Ink booth #1459.

Thanks, Lois! Now, who has a comment or question for her (and an entry in her contest)?

Tomorrow's Guest: Lois Winston

2012-01-09T05:00:00.005-07:00

Tomorrow, fellow Midnight Ink mystery author Lois Winston will be a guest on my blog. Lois is the author of the critically acclaimed Anastasia Pollack Crafting Mysteries published by Midnight Ink. Assault With a Deadly Glue Gun, the first book in the series, received starred reviews from Publishers Weekly and Booklist. The new year brings with it the release of Death By Killer Mop Doll (Jan. 8th), the second book in the series. Read an excerpt HERE. Visit Anastasia at the Killer Crafts & Crafty Killers blog. You can also follow Lois and Anastasia on Twitter @anasleuth.

In her guest post tomorrow, Lois takes a moment to give thanks. I'm sure you'll be intrigued by what she has to say. Then, feel free to let Lois know what you think of her post or her books or to ask her a questions in the comments. And I'm sure you will want to comment, because every one is a entry into her blog-tour contest for free signed copies of Death By Killer Mop Doll!

Deadly Currents Daily Deal!!!

2012-01-06T05:00:00.005-07:00

I want to share some exciting news. Amazon has selected Deadly Currents, the first book in my RM Outdoor Adventures mystery series, for its Kindle Daily Deal today!! It's for sale at somewhere between $2.99 and 99 cents, which is much, much less than its list price of $14.95 and the standard Amazon discount price of $9.99.

You can find the deal HERE.

If you received a Kindle for the holidays, here's a great chance to load one of my mysteries on your new device for a song! But, you don't need to have a Kindle to read Kindle formats. Many other electronic devices will accept Kindle ebook formats. So I hope everyone who hasn't had a chance to buy a copy of Deadly Currents yet will take advantage of this special offer.

And please mark your calendars for May 8th, the official release date for the second book in the series, Wicked Eddies. You'll find the Amazon page for it HERE.

A Best of 2011 Pick and an Appearance on Poe's Deadly Daughters

2012-01-05T05:00:00.003-07:00

Wow! Another avid mystery reviewer has placed a book of mine in her Top Reads for 2011 list, this time Deadly Currents! To be on the same list as Louise Penny and to have her pass over Craig Johnson and Nancy Pickard (whose books I love) for mine is almost frightening. See Juliet's Top Picks for 2011.

Also, Sandra Parshall, one of the Poe's Deadly Daughters bloggers, interviewed me about my thoughts regarding fiction with a message for her post yesterday. Read it HERE.

Today's Colorado Mystery Author Guest: Rebecca Bates

2012-01-04T05:00:00.003-07:00

As promised yesterday, fellow Colorado mystery author Rebecca Bates is visiting my blog today. To read her bio and see her photo, please page down to yesterday's post.

Above is the cover photo for her most recent book, Murder in the Dojo, which was published in August, 2011 under her pen name of Sue Star. In the book, Nell Letterly’s dream job as a karate instructor involves a few little first-day glitches. She finds the guy she replaced very dead—killed with her martial arts weapons. The police don’t bother to investigate anybody else. Her boss suddenly disappears. The dojo is a dump and the students know nothing. Plus, she faces foreclosure on her house, and her teen-age daughter hates her. What to do about all this? Line the students up and look positive. After work, find the killer before the killer finds her.

Below is Rebecca's guest post about The Mysterious Case of Pen Names. Please leave a comment for Rebecca to let her know what you think, and feel free to ask her any questions you want about the post, her books, or her life as a writer.

The Mysterious Case of Pen Names

Whatever happened to Alice Sheldon, William Anthony Parker White, Frederic Dannay, and Manfred B. Lee? Today we remember their famous pen names better than we remember their real names.

We writers work hard at this writing business, and one small reward is seeing Our Names in Print at long last. That should justify all the hours we’ve spent, locked away in our imaginary garrets, having to answer our mother/spouse/child who calls up to ask, “What are you doing?” and we have to answer except, “Nothing.” And then comes the day when we can finally point to Our Names in Print and prove that we’re not absolute and utter derelicts. Why should we lose out on that sense of achievement with a pen name?

Lots of writers have used pen names for many reasons. Alice Sheldon felt that she needed to hide her gender to break into a male-dominated science fiction world, and so she became James Tiptree, Jr. William Anthony Parker White wrote and edited both science fiction and mystery — he became Anthony Boucher, a name that spawned Bouchercon and the Anthony Award for the mystery field. Frederic Dannay and Manfred B. Lee wanted to collaborate, and they became Ellery Queen.

There are as many reasons for using a pen name as there are writers who’ve used them.

I never expected to use a pen name. I like my name. As Rebecca Bates, I’ve been fortunate to meet lots of folks in the mystery community through my work with Bouchercon and Sisters in Crime. My friends won’t know me as someone else.

But I write in multiple genres. It helps me grow as a writer to explore the variety of structure and style that readers of different genres expect. I want to keep growing, instead of producing the same kind of story over and over. As soon as I finish a project in one genre, I jump to another (but only the genres I like to read!) I wander all across the board. Readers won’t necessarily follow you there unless, for example, your name begins with an “S” and ends in King. So I’ve fallen into using pen names. Pen names are clues for readers. Pen names point readers to the particular type of story they like to read.

My first novel, a romantic suspense, came out under my maiden name, Rebecca Williamson. Since then my science fiction stories have come out under my married name, Rebecca Bates. Now I’ve written an amateur sleuth mystery, which is a more traditional whodunnit, set in today’s funky world, and it’s part of a series. Fans of such cozies don’t always want their heroines to brood about the mysterious men they’re attracted to. They don’t always want to save humanity through science. I need to separate those types of stories, so as not to lead my readers astray. That’s my reason, why I chose to go with a pen name. I just fell into being Sue Star.

Being Sue is no secret. Keeping a secret like that today would be difficult, unless I moved into a cave (no, thanks!) Sue Star is one of the hats I wear. It’s fun, being more or less anonymous, but at the same time anonymity is challenging in introducing pen names to readers. !Caramba! Who knows if this mysterious case of using pen names will ever be satisfactorily resolved? One thing’s for sure: I’m looking forward to the journey.

Thanks, Rebecca! Now, who has a comment or question for her?

Tomorrow's Guest: Rebecca Bates

2012-01-03T05:00:00.003-07:00

Tomorrow, fellow Colorado mystery author Rebecca Bates will be a guest on my blog. Rebecca writes both speculative fiction and mystery. She lives in Boulder, Colorado where she raised three daughters, trained in the martial arts with them, and taught Spanish. Now she writes full time under several pen names. As Sue Star, she is the author of Murder in the Dojo, the first of the black belt mystery series and newly released from D.M. Kreg Publishing. Her novel The Signal, under the Rebecca Bates byline, comes out in January 2012. As Rebecca Williamson, she is the author of The Drowning of Chittenden, a romantic suspense novel set in the foothills of Appalachia. Find out more about her exploits at her blog.

In her guest post tomorrow, she talks about The Mysterious Case of Pen Names and why she writes under three pen names herself. I'm sure you'll be intrigued by what she has to say. Then, feel free to ask her some questions of your own about pen names in the comments.

A Real Basket Case is "Year's Best Mystery"!

2012-01-02T05:00:00.004-07:00

I'm thrilled that book reviewer Lori B. Caswell has selected A Real Basket Case, the first book in my Claire Hanover gift basket designer mystery series, as the Best Mystery that she read in 2011! Since she is an avid reader and reviewer of cozy mysteries, this is an especially exciting honor.

See the whole list of her year's best picks on her "Escape with Dollycas Into A Good Book" blog.

A Real Basket Case was re-released in trade paperback and ebook in 2011, and is also available in hardcover and large-print editions, so you can pick your favorite format. And I hope that anyone who hasn't read it yet does indeed pick it up and read it! A Real Basket Case was a finalist for the Best First Novel Agatha Award when it came out in hardcover, and it has been well-reviewed by Amazon and Goodreads readers as well as by professional reviewers.

To Resolve or Not to Resolve, that is the question

2011-12-30T05:00:00.002-07:00

I recently went back and looked at my post at the beginning of 2011 that contained my New Year's Goals and Resolutions. Oh boy, was that sobering!

For my writing goals, I did pretty well. I did indeed heavily promoted my two releases, Deadly Currents and A Real Basket Case. And I edited Wicked Eddies (and turned it in) and Basketful of Troubles (third book in the Claire Hanover Gift basket Designer series), though I haven't done a final pre-turn-in edit for Basketful of Troubles that addresses my agent's comments on the manuscript. So that's an incomplete goal. Another incomplete goal was to write the rough draft for Cataract Canyon, the third book in the RM Outdoor Adventures series. Instead of finishing, I'm about 3/4th's done and hope to finish in January.

One out of three goals met? Not so good. But at least the other two goals are both at least 3/4ths done.

Now, on to the resolutions. My writing-related one was to spend more time on writing and editing and less on promoting and networking. I think I did accomplish that, though I still spent more time on promoting and networking than I would have liked. If I'd been able to cut back more on those, maybe I would have finished those two goals. Sigh!

My non-writing-related resolution was to shed a few pounds. I did do that, but of course, I'd like to shed a few more. I just can't seem to get under my post-baby weight after my son was born 21 years ago. I gained ten pounds with each pregnancy, and that extra twenty pounds has very stubbornly hung on. I guess I should be grateful that I've managed to periodically lose extra pounds that I gained on top of those. My hope now is that moving to Breckenridge, Colorado will encourage me to adopt more of an outdoorsy, active lifestyle that will show positive results in weight loss.

So, given the mixed results on this year's goals and resolutions, my quandary now is whether or not to even bother to set some for 2012. What do you think? Should I? Are you? What are your goals and/or resolutions for the next year?

Third Time's the Charm

2011-12-26T05:30:00.001-07:00

Today I'm blogging over at Inkspot, the blog for Midnight Ink authors, about rewriting a crucial scene three times until I got it right and it was neither underripe or overripe. Find out what went wrong each time and why I felt I had to fix it before moving on.

If you're a writer, have you had to rewrite a scene multiple times before you felt its flavor was perfect? If you're a reader, have you read a scene that you felt should have been rewritten until it tasted better? Please share!

Merry Christmas, Happy Holidays, and Happy New Year!

2011-12-24T09:30:00.005-07:00

In the hustle and bustle of moving, Christmas traditions in the Groundwater household got kind of shoved aside. Now that we've unpacked most, not all, of the boxes in the house (the garage is a whoooole different story), I've had a chance to breathe in some of that holiday spirit.

The big tree and all of its ornaments are still in boxes, but I set up a miniature tree on the table with a few gifts around it. And I've got butter softening on the kitchen counter for a batch of Christmas sugar cookies. It just isn't Christmas Eve, in my mind, without a mess of dough, cookie cutters, and sugar sprinkles in the kitchen! And tonight we'll be attending a candlelight Christmas Eve service at the local Methodist Church. I feel like we're back on track, pausing for a moment to remember what the winter holiday is all about--peace, love, family, charity, and hope.

I hope that all of my blog readers who celebrate Christmas have a very merry one! For those who celebrate other winter holidays, may yours be special and cheerful, too. And for everyone, here's my wish for a very Happy New Year, in which all your dreams come true. See you next year!

PS. C. Goold, email me at my website, bethgroundwater.com. You've won something!

Mystery Conferences

2011-12-19T05:00:00.002-07:00

Well, I've done it. I made the commitment. I've paid my registration fees for the Malice Domestic and Bouchercon mystery conferences in 2012. I'm looking forward to seeing fellow mystery lovers in Bethesda, Maryland, April 27-29 for the Malice Domestic conference and in Cleveland, Ohio, October 4-7 for the Bouchercon conference.

I'm also planning to include some appearances at whitewater festivals and various Colorado bookstores in my 2012 event schedule, and I hope to be invited back to the Festival of Mystery in Oakmont, PA. That's about as far as my writing travel dollars will stretch, but if my husband and I do some personal traveling (Oregon to see our daughter?), I may be able to add on a bookstore appearance or two to that. Stay tuned to the Appearances page of my website, which I'll update as plans firm up.

In the meantime, I'd like to wish all of my blog readers a Happy Holidays! I hope you enjoy celebrating whatever winter holiday you embrace, and if you're traveling, may your travels be safe and uneventful.

Today's Colorado Mystery Author Guest: Mike Befeler

2011-12-14T05:00:00.000-07:00

As promised yesterday, fellow Colorado mystery author Mike Befeler is visiting my blog today. To read his bio and see his photo, please page down to yesterday's post.

Above is the cover photo for his most recent book, Senior Moments Are Murder, which was published in August. In the book, cantankerous octogenarian Paul Jacobson must solve a series of murders while struggling with the problems of his short-term memory loss. Paul learns about the homeless community, graffiti artists, disreputable art dealers and the beach scene in Venice Beach, California, and must dance a geezer two-step to stay out of the clutches of the police and the bad guys.

Below are Mike's answers to my interview questions. Please leave a comment for Mike, and if you have a question of your own for him, ask it!

1. Who or what inspired you to start writing and when did you start?

I came to fiction writing late in life, at the age of 56. I thought over things I had really enjoyed doing over my lifetime and made the decision that I wanted to retire into fiction writing.

2. What tools and process do you use to “get to know” your characters before and while you’re writing the books?

I have kept logs of characteristics but for me a lot of it evolves as I write a character. I enjoy writing humor so a character’s sense of humor starts popping out as I write. The main character in my published mystery series, Paul Jacobson, is a punster, so ideas for puns appear as he speaks with other characters.

3. How do you construct your plots? Do you outline or do you write “by the seat of your pants”?

I start with a basic outline and see where things go from there. I’m always surprised at how a plot evolves as I get into the story. I often don’t know who the murderer is until I get over half way through the rough draft.

4. In the age-old question of character versus plot, which one do you think is most important in a murder mystery and which one do you emphasize in your writing? Why?

Readers today enjoy the puzzle aspect of a mystery but overwhelmingly state that want to read about interesting characters. I think it’s important to have a solid plot, but characters are what drive the story.

5. What is the biggest challenge you’ve faced as a writer and what inspires you and keeps you motivated?

Writing is full of rejection. I sold my first short story on my 112th submission. Perseverance is a must, and I keep going because I enjoy telling a story and writing about quirky characters.

6. What is a typical workday for you and how many hours a day (or week) do you devote to writing?

I’m a morning person and write every morning, every day of the week that I’m not doing an event or traveling. I typically write from seven to eleven, take a break for exercising in the middle of the day, and then do email, social networking and administrative tasks in the afternoon.

7. What advice do you have to offer to an aspiring author?

Two things: get started and keep going.

8. Now here’s a zinger. Tell us something about yourself that you have not revealed in another interview yet. Something as simple as your favorite TV show or food will do.

I’m a cookie-aholic. I get by fine if there are no cookies around, but if there is a plate of cookies in front of me, I’ll eat them until they’re gone (particularly chocolate chip).

9. What are you working on now and what are your future writing plans?

The fourth book in my Paul Jacobson Geezer-lit Mystery series is under contract with my publisher and will be released in December, 2012. It takes place on an Alaskan cruise ship and is titled, Cruising in Your Eighties Is Murder. I’m currently completing a spy novel titled, Spies Like Them, that I call a Skip Generational Story of International Intrigue because the main characters are two retired spies and their two teenage grandchildren.

10. Is there anything else you would like to tell my blog readers?

My Paul Jacobson Geezer-lit Mystery series includes three published books: Retirement Homes Are Murder, Living With Your Kids Is Murder and Senior Moments Are Murder. I encourage your blog readers to visit my website and my blog, and I welcome the opportunity to do conference call meetings with book clubs (contact me at mikebef@aol.com).

Thanks, Mike! Now, who has a comment or question for him?

Tomorrow's Guest: Mike Befeler

2011-12-13T05:00:00.004-07:00

Tomorrow, fellow Colorado mystery author Mike Befeler will be a guest on my blog. In the May, 2008, issue of the AARP Bulletin, Mike was identified as one of four authors in a new emerging mystery sub-genre. Harlan Coben, president of Mystery Writers of America (MWA) stated, “We’ve just scratched the surface on geezer-lit. It could be the next frontier in crime fiction.”

Mike Befeler turned his attention to speaking and fiction writing after a career in high technology marketing. His debut novel, Retirement Homes Are Murder, was published in 2007. The second novel in his Paul Jacobson Geezer-lit Mystery Series, Living With Your Kids Is Murder, was a finalist for the Lefty Award for the best humorous mystery of 2009. The third book in the series, Senior Moments Are Murder, was released August, 2011. Mike is active in organizations promoting a positive image of aging and is Vice President of the Rocky Mountain Chapter of MWA. He is an acclaimed speaker and presents “The Secret of Growing Older Gracefully—Aging and Other Minor Inconveniences,” and “How to Survive Retirement” to service organizations and senior groups. He grew up in Honolulu, Hawaii, and now lives in Boulder, Colorado, with his wife, Wendy.

In his guest post tomorrow, Mike answers my interview questions, and I'm sure you'll be intrigued by what he has to say. Then, feel free to ask him some questions of your own in the comments.

Moving, Moving, Moving!

2011-12-12T05:00:00.004-07:00

Today is packing day for my husband's and my big move to our retirement home in Breckenridge, Colorado. The truck will be loaded tomorrow and by Wednesday we expect to be happily ensconced in our new permanent home--among the mounds of boxes!

I do have a guest author this week on my blog, so I hope readers will tune in. The teaser will be tomorrow, and his guest post will appear on Wednesday. I even hope to check in on Wednesday myself! The computer will be one of the first things unpacked and set up.

It's been a hectic few weeks getting ready for this move, which included a lot of downsizing: selling furniture on Craig's List, toting vanloads of stuff to Goodwill, recycling, or the dump, pushing a lot of items into our kids' hands, donating books to the library, and more. I'm looking forward to being settled in a smaller home that will hopefully be easier to clean and maintain.

The last time we moved was in 1992, when we made the long relocation from Northern Virginia to Colorado Springs, Colorado. Does anyone have any moving tips for me? Any hints for maintaining my sanity? I'm sure I could use them!

Speaking at Libraries

2011-12-08T05:30:00.001-07:00

I am blogging at Inkspot today, with an article about "Speaking at Libraries." I hope you'll head over there to read it and let me know what you think!

Today's Colorado Mystery Author Guest: Colleen Collins

2011-12-06T05:00:00.003-07:00

As promised yesterday, fellow Colorado mystery author Colleen Collins is visiting my blog today. To read her bio and see her photo, please page down to yesterday's post.

Above is the cover photo for her most recent book, The Zen Man, which is being released this month. Just as washed-up criminal defense attorney, life-long Deadhead (nicknamed “The Zen Man”), and current PI Rick Levine decides to get relicensed as a lawyer, he’s charged with killing one, who also happens to be his ex-wife, and ends up in the slammer with a half-million bail. Out on bond with 30 days to find the real killer, Rick and and his girlfriend Laura dig for dirt from Denver’s shady legal backrooms to the city’s tony corporate centers. Dodging bullets, trumped-up charges and the FBI’s unwanted intervention, they continue tracking key suspects who have motive…until they face a final, deadly encounter with the surprise killer.

Below is Colleen's guest article. If you leave a comment or question for Colleen, you'll be entered into a contest for a free copy of her Kindle book, How Do Private Eyes Do That? Good luck to everyone!

When Writing a Whodunit, Think of Dear ol’ MOM
(Motive, Opportunity and Means)
By Colleen Collins

Recently a writer friend of mine who’s written dozens of romance novels landed a book contract where the publisher asked for a “complex crime” at the core of the story. My friend contacted me, worried. “I’ve never written a crime!” she said, “can you give me any advice?” “Sure, think MOM,” I answered, “which stands for motive, opportunity and means.”

Besides being a writer, I’m also a private investigator who’s married to her private investigator partner who’s also a criminal defense attorney. I tell you this because our lives are full of MOM, from crafting stories to trying criminal cases.

In U.S. criminal law, MOM encapsulates three sides of a crime necessary to convince a jury of guilt in a criminal proceeding. Did the defendant have a motive to commit the crime? Did the defendant have an opportunity, or chance, to accomplish the deed? Did the defendant also have the ability (means)?

Let’s look at some ways a fictional sleuth might use MOM in a story:

Conduct witness interviews. There’s the direct questions a sleuth might ask, and which we often hear in movies, such as “Where were you at nine o’clock on the night of April 12, Miss Smith?” (opportunity). But also think about your sleuth asking questions that delve into a suspect’s character (motive), history of violence or peacefulness (means/motive or lack of means/motive), or knowledge about using a certain type of weapon (means). A sleuth might also interview other people who’ve seen that suspect use the same type of weapon or conduct certain violent acts.

Examine the murder weapon. Let’s say your sleuth wants to prove the killer was someone other than the person charged with the crime. Your sleuth might looks for clues that show lack of means on the murder weapon (such as bloody hand imprints that are larger than the defendant’s or a strand of hair stuck in blood that's a different color than the defendant’s).

Recreate the homicide event. Your sleuth might reconstruct the event at the scene of the crime to prove a person had access to a weapon (means) as well as opportunity. For example, the reconstruction might show how easily a suspect could have reached for the murder weapon. Or, conversely, that the suspect wasn’t tall enough to reach the weapon, strong enough to lift it, or maybe even literate enough to have read the instructions on how to use the weapon. As a lawyer, Abraham Lincoln once reconstructed a crime scene to prove that a witness couldn’t possibly have seen what she claimed to have seen because there wasn’t ample lighting to clearly see at the time the incident occurred.

Find an alternate suspect. Your sleuth might research other people who had motive, opportunity and means to commit a crime. For example, the sleuth might analyze someone’s character for motive (such as his/her history of outbursts toward the victim), look for clues tying another person to the murder weapon (for example, his/her knowledge of how to use that weapon), or establish someone had opportunity (by analyzing a person’s timeline).

A last point to keep in mind: a court cannot convict based solely on motive, opportunity and means. A lawyer must provide convincing proof of all three. Obtaining this proof is, of course, what your sleuth (a detective, private investigator, amateur sleuth) has been doggedly investigating, with the help of MOM, throughout the course of your story.

Thank you to Beth Groundwater for hosting me today at her blog. I’d like to give away a Kindle copy of How Do Private Eyes Do That? to one of today’s commenters. You don’t need a Kindle to download the book (Amazon provides a free, easy-to-download app for downloading the ebook onto your PC, Mac and other devices).

And thank you, Colleen, for that excellent article! I'm expecting to see lots of comments here, since Colleen is giving away such a great prize.

Tomorrow's Guest: Colleen Collins

2011-12-05T05:00:00.002-07:00

Tomorrow, fellow Colorado mystery author Colleen Collins will be a guest on my blog.

Colleen Collins is a multi-published author and private investigator who’s written 20 novels and anthologies for Harlequin (including a romantic paranormal thriller for Dorchester, writing as Cassandra Collins). Her books have placed first in the Colorado Gold, Romancing the Rockies, and Top of the Peak contests, and placed in the finals for the Holt Medallion, Coeur de Bois Readers Choice, Award of Excellence, More than Magic, and Romance Writers of America RITA contests. Her next novel, The Zen Man (“21st-century Nick and Nora”), available December 2011, relies on techniques discussed in tomorrow's article.

In her guest post tomorrow, Colleen writes about "When Writing a Whodunit, Think of Dear ol’ MOM", and I'm sure you'll be intrigued by what she has to say. After you read her article, feel free to ask her some questions in the comments. Every comment is an entry in a contest to win a Kindle copy of How Do Private Eyes Do That? Good luck to everyone!

What NOT to Give a Fiction Author for the Holidays

2011-12-01T05:00:00.000-07:00

As holiday giving season approaches, those of you who are close friends or relatives of fiction authors may be wondering what kind of gift to give those authors. I'm here to tell you what NOT to give a fiction author for the holidays. :-)

1. Don't give a fiction author a sweatshirt that says "Careful, or you'll end up in my novel." If your writer friend has been writing fiction for over a year (even unpublished), it's guaranteed that s/he already has one. Every fiction author I know has at least one of these, given to them by a well-intentioned friend or relative. Yes, many of us wear them proudly, but we don't need more than one.

2. Similarly, don't give a fiction author a blank journal, even one with a lovely leather cover. We all have multiple blank journals, again given by well-intentioned friends and relatives, but most of us don't write in them. We write on computers, because our manuscripts need to be delivered in files, not on paper.

3. Don't give a fiction author a fancy, expensive pen to use at signings. It will just disappear, in some reader's hand, accidentally or not. Authors are very distracted at a signing, having conversations with readers while trying to remember names so they can be written in books. The last thing a hassled author needs to do is try to keep track of an expensive pen. Instead, give the author a box of inexpensive Sharpie permanent markers. I find the extra fine point to be the easiest to sign with.

By now you may be wondering what the ideal gift for a fiction author is. I'll tell you. It's very easy. Buy five or ten copies of his or her latest book for the other gift recipients on your list and ask the author to sign them!

Today's Mystery Author Guest: Jennifer Harlow

2011-11-30T05:00:00.003-07:00

As promised yesterday, fellow Midnight Ink mystery author Jennifer Harlow is visiting my blog today. To read her bio and see her photo, please page down to yesterday's post.

Above is the cover photo for the first book in her F.R.E.A.K.S. Squad Investigation mystery series, titled Mind Over Monsters. The sleuth, Beatrice Alexander, is no ordinary schoolteacher—she can move objects with her mind, an embarassing skill she has yet to master or embrace. After nearly killing her brother in an accident, she joins the F.R.E.A.K.S. Squad, the Federal Response to Extra-Sensory and Kindred Supernaturals. This top secret branch of the FBI combats ghosts, ghouls, and other monsters threatening humanity. With her teammates—among them a handsome fomer-detective werewolf and an annoying vampire hell bent on seducting her—Beatrice investigates her first case. Disgustingly dismembered bodies have turned up, bearing the bite marks of the undead. Someone—or something—is raising a horde of hideous, bloodthirsty zombies. Armed with Bette, her trusty machete, Beatrice takes on the master of the flesh-devouring corpses who’s guarding a horrifying secret…

Shudder! Doesn't this sound like a fascinating read? And there's a lot of humor in it, so it's fun, too. Below is Jennifer's interview with Beatrice. Please leave a comment for either one of them, and if you have a question of your own for either, ask it!

An Interview with Special Agent Beatrice Alexander
By Jennifer Harlow

Through some of my Pentagon contacts (thanks Daddy and Uncle George W.) I was given exclusive access to the clandestine branch of the FBI known as the F.R.E.A.K.S. or Federal Response to Extra-Sensory and Kindred Supernaturals. Their newest agent, former schoolteacher and telekinetic Beatrice Alexander, agreed to meet with me under the cover of night at a coffee shop somewhere in the Midwest. (It rhymes with “Ansas”)

So, thanks for agreeing to do this.

BA: It’s okay. Gave me an excuse to get away from a pest. As long as I’m home in time for The World of Henry Orient. I love Peter Sellers.

I understand you just got back from your first case in Colorado. Killing zombies must be a far cry from finger-painting with fourth graders.

BA: Totally. Though about the same amount of biting involved.

What made you decide to make such a drastic career change?

BA: I, uh, almost killed my brother one night. He was saying awful things about me and I snapped. Almost blew out a vessel in his brain. I never had much control over my curs—sorry, gift, they insist we say that, and the F.R.E.A.K.S. offered me a chance to learn about it. Get that control.

Have you always been telekinetic?

BA: Ever since I was a kid. My mom’s boyfriend was about to hit her, so I sent a plate across the room flying right into his head. There were…other incidents too, but I don’t want to talk about them if you don’t mind. (pause) I don’t really like talking about what I can do full stop. Sorry. For years only three people ever knew, my brother, Nana, and friend April. She only found out because my first and only sleepover her stuffed animals were dancing in the air. She thought it was cool.

Most people would love to have your gift.

BA: Then they’re morons. Would they love to wake up and find their bed levitating? Getting angry and almost killing someone without lifting a finger? Knowing that if you tell someone what you can do they’ll run for the hills? Being called a freak, an aberration? (scoff) No, it is nothing to love.

Did you know that there were others out there like you before you joined? Others with gifts?

BA: No. God, no. If you came to me three months ago and told me Dracula and the Wolfman were alive and sharing a house, I’d have called you nuts. Like everyone else I thought they were all made up. Now I have a werewolf living across the hall and a vampire in the basement, among others.

Who else is in the Squad?

BA: There’s Carl, he touches things and knows all about their history. Uh, Andrew is a medium, Irie a pyrokinetic, and Nancy can teleport. She’s not big on privacy and locked doors. (a private smile; turning red) Then there’s Will. He’s the werewolf. Oh, and Oliver.

Was it hard joining such a tight knit group?

BA: Well, I moved around a lot as a kid, so I’m used to being the new girl, but still. Yeah. We had some growing pains, to say the least, but…we stopped the necromancer and all the zombies. Together. I think they’re warming to me. At least I hope they are. Time will tell. (face falling) Oh, crud. Not again.

When I turned to see what had gotten her so annoyed, my jaw dropped. Sauntering into the shop was the most gorgeous man I’d ever seen. The picture I viewed did not do him justice. I recognized him from my dossier as Oliver Montrose, another F.R.E.A.K. A vampire one. He slid into the booth right next to Beatrice but flashed me a smile that scrambled my brain. Thank God I had the tape recorder still running.

OM: Well, well, well, what do we have here? Who is your new, delectable friend here, Trixie?

BA: (shooting daggers with her eyes) None of your business. What are you doing here? Are you following me? Again? Because this is getting close to stalkerish. I’m beginning to feel like I’m in a Lifetime movie. (to me) He does this. All the time! I turn around, and there he is with that stupid grin on his face!

OM: My grin is not stupid. (to me; grinning to show fangs) Do you find my grin stupid, my dear?

BA: Oh, leave her alone! Now you’re just being childish. We’re trying to do an interview here. Go away.

OM: (cocking an eyebrow) An interview, you say? Fantastic. I do not mind answering a few questions about fair Trixie here. Perhaps your readers would be interested to know some nights she sleeps in nothing but a towel.

BA: (mouth dropping open) I do not…we have not…will you shut up? Get out of here or I’ll…

OM: What, tell Will? (to me) Our team leader has such a soft spot for Trixie here. If she asked him, he would stake me without a second thought. He almost did in Colorado. But my darling Trixie would not let him. (growing serious) She saved my life, you know. She saved us all.

BA: He’s exaggerating.

OM: No…I am not. She was magnificent. Truly.

Their eyes met, almost cooling her anger, replacing it with nervousness. She looked away.

BA: Just go away, okay. Please?

He stared at her face for a moment, almost sad to see she was serious. He rose.

OM: As you wish, my dear. See you at home.

He walked out of the café, and she shook her head.

BA: I am so sorry about that. Sometimes he’s really great and sometimes he’s…that.

It’s alright. So, how did you save his life?

BA: He’s exaggerating. He, um, the necromancer did something to him and he attacked me. Will wanted to stake him, but I wouldn’t let him. It wasn’t his fault. And as you can see he’s fine now. Relatively speaking.

Did this cause a problem with you and your team leader?

BA: Um, no, We’re fine now. Great. He’s actually, um, teaching me some more martial arts. (turning red again) Among other things. He used to be a police officer in D.C. so he knows a lot. He’s just…wonderful.

So far what do you like best about the job? Besides your team leader.

BA: Well, I really liked the whole investigation part of it. Interviewing people, finding clues, getting to the truth. I love mystery novels and now it’s like my life has become one. (sweet smile) Though I felt more like bumbling Stephanie Plum than Sherlock Holmes.

So all in all are you happy with your choice to join the F.R.E.A.K.S.? No regrets?

BA: (laughing) Of course I have regrets. What happened in Colorado was horrible. People died. I had to chop up two zombie hordes with a machete. I have literal scars from the whole ordeal. And it was my first case. But...a large part of me loved it. I’ve faced monsters and won. I can be myself here, warts and all. I need that. I never realized how much until I got here. I’m not alone anymore. That…makes it worth it.

Her cell phone rang. As she listened to the other end, she grew grave before standing up.

BA: I’m so sorry. There’s a golem on the loose in New Jersey, I have to go. Nice meeting you.

She ran out the door off to face another monster. I for one feel safer knowing she’s out there.

Thanks, Jennifer! Please visit Jennifer Harlow's website to read her blog “Tales From the Darkside” and to get the soundtrack to the book. You can also friend her on Facebook and follow her on Twitter at jenharlowbooks. Now, who has a comment or question for Jennifer or Beatrice?

Tomorrow's Guest: Jennifer Harlow

2011-11-29T05:00:00.003-07:00

Tomorrow, fellow Midnight Ink mystery author Jennifer Harlow will be a guest on my blog.
Jennifer spent her restless childhood fighting with her three brothers and scaring the heck out of herself with horror movies and books. She grew up to earn a degree at the University of Virginia which she put to use as a radio DJ, crisis hotline volunteer, bookseller, lab assistant, wedding coordinator, and government investigator. Currently she calls Northern Virginia home but that restless itch is ever present. In her free time she continues to scare the beejepers out of herself watching scary movies and opening her credit card bills.

In her guest post tomorrow, Jennifer Harlow interviews her protagonist, FBI Special Agent Beatrice Alexander, and I'm sure you'll be intrigued by what Beatrice has to say. Then, feel free to ask her some questions of your own in the comments.

What I'm Grateful for this Thanksgiving

2011-11-24T05:00:00.004-07:00

Thanksgiving is a time for stepping back from the hubbub of everyday life to celebrate with family and/or friends all that we have to be grateful for. I'm grateful for my family, my health, financial security, and being lucky enough to live in the United States of America. I'm also grateful for my ability to write mystery novels and for the readers who read those novels and let me know how much they enjoyed them.

What are you grateful for?

I wish all of my blog readers a Happy Thanksgiving and many blessings for which you can be grateful!

Photos from a Book Tour - Part Two

2011-11-22T05:00:00.004-07:00

Today I'll be sharing some more photos from my eight-day book tour with fellow mystery author Ann Parker. After leaving the Mount Princeton Hot Springs Resort Monday morning, we made our way to my home in Breckenridge, where we signed stock at Weber's Books & Drawings.

Tuesday, we drove to Ann's brother's home in Boulder, where we would stay the next three nights. That's when snafu number two happened. I left two hangers in my house that had my booksigning outfits on them, and all I had with me were a couple of nice tops and jeans and exercise pants. Ann's sister-in-law pointed me to a nearby thrift shop, where I found a cheap pair of black pants and a blouse to put together a couple of signing outfits. Then I arranged a rendezvous Thursday with my son, who would be returning to Denver from a couple of days of skiing in Breckenridge, to pick up the rest of my tour clothes from him.

Tuesday evening, we signed at Old Firehouse Books in Fort Collins. Fellow mystery authors Patricia Stoltey, Charlotte Hinger, and Cricket McRae were some of the folks who came out to support us, and they appear with Ann and me in the two photos below.

On Wednesday, we stopped at Who Else! Books in the Broadway Book Mall to sign stock and had a late lunch with Lauri Ver Schure, owner of Murder By the Book, and signed more stock for her. That evening we gave a presentation at the Highlands Ranch library and signed books provided by the Tattered Cover bookstore. Below is a photo of us with librarian Lisa Casper, who organized the event.

Thursday, I picked up my clothes from my son, and that evening we joined mystery author Michelle Black for a panel discussion and signing at the Oriental & Navajo Rug Gallery in Longmont, Colorado, organized by Cynthia Nye of High Crimes Mystery Bookshop. Below is a photo of Ann and me with Cynthia in front of one of the beautiful rugs.

Friday morning we drove to Leadville, Colorado for our last day of events. We presented a workshop at the Lake County Library in the afternoon and signed books at the Book Mine bookstore in the early evening. Below is a photo of us with two members of the Friends of the Library group who organized that event and provided goodies. We finished up the evening at my Breckenridge home again, and Ann caught a shuttle to the airport Saturday morning. It was a busy, whirlwind tour, but we enjoyed it all. Ann was a perfect tour buddy, and I'd do it all again with her!

Photos from a Book Tour - Part One

2011-11-21T05:00:00.005-07:00

Last Saturday I concluded an eight-day book tour with fellow mystery author Ann Parker, whose historical mining era mysteries are set in Leadville and Manitou Springs, Colorado. Ann was promoting the fourth book in the series, Mercury's Rise, which was released in November, and I was promoting the November re-release of A Real Basket Case, though I think I signed just as many copies of Deadly Currents.

After flying in to Denver, Ann met me at the Denver Press Club Thursday evening, where we both attended a meeting of the Rocky Mountain Chapter of Mystery Writers of America. She rode back with me in the Colorado Springs carpool, and we used my Colorado Springs home as a base of operations for the next three nights. Our first event Friday evening was a wine, cheese, and chocolate signing at Black Cat Books in Manitou Springs, the setting for Mercury's Rise. The photo below was taken by Doris McCraw at the event.

Saturday we breakfasted with researchers who helped Ann with her book, then we attended an authors tea at the Pikes Peak Library for Mara Purl and Margaret Coel. Our own next event was a shift at the Pikes Peak Writers Fundraiser Booksigning at the Barnes & Noble Booksellers location in north Colorado Springs late Saturday afternoon. The first photo below shows us with Mark Stevens, who signed before us, and the second photo, taken by Doris McCraw again, shows Ann and I toward the end of our two hour shift, still laughing and having a great time. After our signing, we went to a launch party for my friend Donnell Bell's debut novel. A full day!

Sunday marked the first of two snafus that could have been disastrous. Ann and I loaded up my Prius with our luggage and books, and when I turned the ignition key, nothing happened. I looked up and saw one dome light burning dimly, so we had somehow left it on overnight and drained the car battery. AAA couldn't get there for at least 45 minutes, which would have put us in Salida, Colorado, our next stop, too late. So, we moved all of the stuff to my husband's SUV and used that vehicle instead for the rest of the trip. That made our gas cost higher, but we had the luxury of heated seats, too.

Unfortunately, we didn't get any photos of our "Constructing a Mystery" workshop at The Book Haven in Salida, probably because we were too busy having a good time and signing books. That night we gave ourselves the treat of a stay at the Mount Princeton Hot Springs Resort. We soaked in one of the hot springs pools until clouds moved in and snow started to fall. Then we had to come up with a quick exit strategy that got us out of the pool, dried off, into our snow boots and coats, across the bridge, down the stairs and around the corner into the bath house as fast as possible before we caught a chill. Being a "pantser," Ann said she did more planning for that run than she does when she starts a novel!

Tomorrow, I'll post more photos from the trip.

Today's Colorado Mystery Author Guest: Mark W. Danielson

2011-11-16T05:00:00.005-07:00

As promised yesterday, fellow Colorado mystery author Mark W. Danielson is visiting my blog today. To read his bio and see his photo, please page down to yesterday's post.

Above is the cover photo for his most recent book, Writer's Block, A Maxx Watts Mystery, which is being released this month. Maxx Watts is no stranger to murder. As a Fort Worth homicide
detective, he has smelled death often. But this murder was twisted. A dead publisher lying face-down on a bloodied manuscript, the marble paperweight beside him labeled Writer’s Block. All evidence points to The Guillotine Press authors, but determining which one is only the beginning for Watts.

A writerly mystery! Below are Mark's answers to my interview questions. Please leave a comment for Mark, and if you have a question of your own for him, ask it!

1. Who or what inspired you to start writing and when did you start?

Like many novelists, my writing career began with writing non-fiction freelance articles in 1977. Most of my early work involved subjects on flying because it was a way to share valuable information. Since then, over one hundred of my articles have been published in various periodicals and I still contribute an occasional article.

2. What tools and process do you use to “get to know” your characters before and while you’re writing the books?

No doubt many of my characters evolve from my own investigative experience and/or encounters with others. Many of my friends and relatives have worked for police departments so it is easy to draw from them. My former position as an aircraft mishap investigator has certainly aided in creating believable situations and characters in my mysteries. Before beginning a new story, I have a good idea about what the main characters are like, but everyone in between is usually a surprise. I never know until the end who lives, who dies, who gets lucky, and whose luck runs out.

3. How do you construct your plots? Do you outline or do you write “by the seat of your pants”?

For fiction, I’m a “seat of the pants” guy. For non-fiction, everything must first be outlined. It’s a lot more fun giving my characters liberty to walk me through their stories. Since everything is told through their eyes, I often feel as if I’m watching from afar.

4. In the age-old question of character versus plot, which one do you think is most important in a murder mystery and which one do you emphasize in your writing? Why?

We’ve all seen movies with Oscar-winning casts that could not save the ghastly plot. Conversely, an unknown cast can be magnificent if the plot is masterful. Whether cinema or a novel, the plot must be sound or it will fail. In both mediums, the audience must connect with the characters. Even the antagonist must have a reason for being the way he or she is. Evil for evil’s sake never works. But to answer the question, I’m not sure you can separate the importance of plot versus character.

5. What is the biggest challenge you’ve faced as a writer and what inspires you and keeps you motivated?

Everything in life involves risk. We think nothing about car-jousting with opponents closing at two miles a minute because we’re certain we will pass shoulder to shoulder with inches to spare, but as we walk dark alleys and parking lots, our level of fear skyrockets because of the unknown. Mystery authors risk everything by opening their souls to strangers and choosing topics that publishers may not want. At the same time, mystery writers capitalize on their readers’ deepest fears. Go overboard and you either cross into horror or lose your audience. Although I take my writing very seriously, I am not overly concerned about the topics I write about. My main concern is to have fun and craft an entertaining story. There are endless tales yet to write, but I doubt I’ll live long enough to complete them all.

6. What is a typical workday for you and how many hours a day (or week) do you devote to writing?

As an airline pilot, my workdays are quite atypical. When I’m home, I spend much of my time on outings with my wife or getting things done around the house. When I’m on the road, I devote as much time as possible to writing. If my layover is long enough, I may write continuously for ten to fourteen hours whereas at home it may only be an hour or two. Given enough uninterrupted time, I can complete a first draft in thirty days, but most often it takes roughly three months.

7. What advice do you have to offer to an aspiring author?

I’m no different from anyone else when I say, “Read and write.” Reading other authors, particularly those in your genre, offers perspectives on what topics and styles are publishable. Writing is mostly a matter of persistence and dedication. Given the right mentoring, anyone can learn to write well. The most important thing is to have fun and never give up.

8. Now here’s a zinger. Tell us something about yourself that you have not revealed in another interview yet. Something as simple as your favorite TV show or food will do.

For me, writing has been an extension of painting. I’ve been painting my entire life, but it’s much easier to carry a laptop on a trip than an easel, brushes, and paint. For some reason, the TSA prefers it that way, too.

9. What are you working on now and what are your future writing plans?

Writer’s Block, a Maxx Watts murder mystery, was just released, and I am currently working on two sequels. The first one concerns a haunting in Fort Worth’s Scott Theater. Did this young man hang himself as legend says, or was he murdered? Maxx and his team are determined to find out. It’s been fun researching the paranormal for this story. The next story is a moving hostage situation where everyone, good and bad, has lost track of them. Both stories are a lot of fun.

10. Is there anything else you would like to tell my blog readers?

On November 19th, I’m making my tenth consecutive appearance at the Men of Mystery event in Irvine, California. Some of the biggest novelists in mystery have attended this event, and I am honored to be included. I am also among a group of talented authors who write for the Murderous Musings blog. My personal website shares my travels, pertinent articles, chapter previews for my books, and also some miscellaneous stuff just for fun. Please drop in!

Thanks, Mark! Now, who has a comment or question for him?

Tomorrow's Guest: Mark W. Danielson

2011-11-15T05:00:00.004-07:00

Tomorrow, fellow Colorado mystery author Mark W. Danielson will be a guest on my blog. Mark and I both belong to the Rocky Mountain Chapter of Mystery Writers of America (RMMWA) and have come to know each other from hanging out together at the meetings.

When Mark has to miss a meeting, it's usually because he's off flying somewhere. He is an international airline pilot, retired fighter pilot, and reality-based mystery novelist. Many of the topics he has written about have since come to fruition, which gives credence to his stories. A long-time Texas resident, Mark finds Fort Worth an intriguing setting for his Maxx Watts series.

In his guest post tomorrow, Mark answers my interview questions, and I'm sure you'll be intrigued by what he has to say. Then, feel free to ask him some questions of your own in the comments.

An Amazing Gift from a Fellow Writer

2011-11-14T05:00:00.004-07:00

Andrea Gonzales is a fellow Colorado crime fiction writer and member of Sisters in Crime and the Rocky Mountain Chapter of Mystery Writers of America (RMMWA). Recently I guested on her blog, answering a number of interview questions. As a thank-you for my appearance, and some other assistance I gave her, Andrea made a miniature tableau (see below) featuring my books and the whitewater rafting theme of my RM Outdoor Adventures mystery series, complete with lifejacket (PFD), raft, and paddles. It absolutely blew me away!

Andrea is an illustrator as well as a writer, and this tableau shows her artistic talent. I've already shown it off to my critique group and at the RMMWA meeting. I'm also placing it on my signing table during all of my Colorado-based events this week for people to admire (see the Appearances page of my website). I hope you'll visit Andrea's website to learn more about this talented lady. :)

Road Trip!

2011-11-11T05:00:00.005-07:00

Today marks the first day of an eight-day book tour that I'm conducting in the state of Colorado with Ann Parker, author of the Silver Rush historical mystery series set in 1880s Colorado that features saloon owner Inez Stannert. She'll be promoting her November release, the fourth in the series, Mercury's Rise, and I'm be promoting the re-release in trade paperback and ebook of the first book in my Claire Hanover gift basket designer mystery series, A Real Basket Case.

If you live in Colorado, I hope you'll be able to make it one of our events:

Friday, November 11, 6 – 8 PM
Wine, Cheese and Chocolate Signing
Black Cat Books
720 Manitou Avenue, Manitou Springs, CO 80829

Saturday, November 12, 4 – 6 PM
Pikes Peak Writers Fundraiser Signing
Barnes & Noble Booksellers
1565 Briargate Boulevard, Colorado Springs, CO 80920

Sunday, November 13, 2 – 4:30 PM
“Constructing a Mystery” workshop followed by signing
The Book Haven
128 F Street, Salida, Colorado 81201

Tuesday, November 15, 6:30 – 8 PM
Joint Signing
Old Firehouse Books
232 Walnut Street, Fort Collins, CO 80524

Wednesday, November 16, 7 – 9 PM
Presentation and Signing
Highlands Ranch Public Library
9292 Ridgeline Blvd., Highlands Ranch, CO 80129

Thursday, November 17, 7 – 9 PM
Panel Signing with Michelle Black for High Crimes Mystery Bookshop
at The Oriental & Navajo Rug Gallery
927 Main Street, Longmont, CO 80501

Friday, November 18, 2 – 3:30 PM
“Constructing a Mystery” Workshop
Lake County Library
1115 Harrison Avenue, Leadville, CO 80461

Friday, November 18, 5 – 7 PM
Joint Signing
The Book Mine
522 Harrison Avenue, Leadville, CO 80461

Now, here's a special request for all of my blog readers, regardless of where you live. Please pray/hope that it doesn't snow on us during our travels and that the roads remain dry and safe. Thanks!

A Day in the Life of Claire Hanover

2011-11-10T05:00:00.002-07:00

Today I am a guest on the blog, dru's book musings. My guest article is about "A Day in the Life of Claire Hanover by Beth Groundwater." Please stop by and read what a typical day is like for my gift basket designer amateur sleuth, then feel free to ask me a question or let me know what you think of the article in the comments. I'll be responding to comments all day. Also, I'll randomly draw the name of one commenter to win an autographed copy of A Real Basket Case, so be sure to comment to enter the contest!

A Guest on Pat Bertram Introduces

2011-11-09T05:00:00.002-07:00

Today I am a guest on the blog, Pat Bertram Introduces.... She interviewed me, and I had fun responding to her interesting questions. Please stop by and read the interview, then feel free to ask me a question of your own in the comments. I'll be responding to comments all day.

Ta Da! Release Date!

2011-11-08T05:00:00.003-07:00

Today is the official release date for the trade paperback and ebook re-release of A Real Basket Case, the first book in my Claire Hanover gift basket designer mystery series, though some retailers have been selling copies already. I hope you'll join me in celebrating the release with a libation of your choosing and by hollering hurrah! :)

Even better, you could buy a copy of your own or to give to someone on your holiday gift list.

A Real Basket Case was a finalist for the 2007 Best First Novel Agatha Award. Here's what some reviewers and fellow mystery authors had to say about it:

“This will appeal to Desperate Housewives fans and those who like cozies with a bit of spice.”
-- Barbara Bibel, Booklist Review, February 1, 2007

“Drugs and jealousy add up to a Rocky Mountain murder. A tense, exciting debut.”
-- Kirkus Review, January 1, 2007

“A crackling good novel with the kind of twists and turns that make roller coaster rides so scary and so much fun!”
-- Margaret Coel, author of Wind River reservation series

“A gutsy sleuth, a fast-paced plot, and intriguing characters that keep you guessing. A Real Basket Case is a real winner! Don't miss it.”
-- Maggie Sefton, bestselling author of the Knitting Mystery series

You can find out more about the book, read excerpts and more reviews, and find "buy-me" links, at my website.

Killer Crafts and Crafty Killers Blog

2011-11-07T05:00:00.002-07:00

Today I am a guest at the Killer Crafts and Crafty Killers blog, with an article titled, ""Recipe for a Mystery Lover's Gift Basket." This is part of my on-line promotion for the trade paperback and ebook re-release of A Real Basket Case, the first book in my Claire Hanover gift basket designer mystery series, which was a finalist for the Best First Novel Agatha Award in 2007. I hope you'll visit the blog, read the article for gift basket ideas, and leave me a comment there. I'll respond to comments throughout the day.

The Writer's Chatroom and MORE!

2011-11-06T05:00:00.003-07:00

Today from 5 - 7 PM MST, 7 - 9 EST, I will be hanging out at The Writer's Chatroom, answering questions from participants and discussing whatever topics of interest come up. Please come join me there! One lucky participant will win an autographed copy of A Real Basket Case!

Also, fellow Colorado author and publisher, Terry Wright, has spotlighted me on the Author Showcase section of his website. You can see my page HERE. Thanks, Terry!

Also, also, Kevin Tipple, one of my favorite reviewers (for his insightful and always interesting reviews) just posted his review of Deadly Currents on his blog, Kevin's Corner. I hope you'll read not only that review but also check out some of the other reviews on his blog. Thanks, Kevin!

Deadly Currents in a "Year's Best Books" List!

2011-11-05T06:00:00.003-06:00

I'm thrilled that Colorado Country Life magazine picked Deadly Currents as one of their "Year's Best Books"!!! And they gave it a lovely review, too. :-)

NaNoWriMo or NaNoTryMo?

2011-11-04T05:00:00.003-06:00

November is National Novel Writing Month, and writers around the world are working toward a goal of finishing a 50,000 word rough draft of a manuscript during the month. They're keeping track of their progress and encouraging each other at the official NaNoWriMo website.

My local writing organization in Colorado, Pikes Peak Writers, is encouraging their members (like me) who don't have it in them to crank out that many words in one month to set an alternate goal and work toward that. They call their project NaNoTryMo and are offering a number of "write-ins" to get writers working together on their goals. See the PPW website for information.

I won't be participating in the official NaNoWriMo site, because I'm working on an existing manuscript versus starting a new one. But, I've set a goal of 20,000 additional words on my current manuscript for November. That's continuing at my current goal rate of 5000 words/week. I already have about 35,000 words written, so if I meet my NaNoTryMo goal, I'll be at 55,000 words at the end of November.

This manuscript is the third book in my RM Outdoor Adventures mystery series, titled Cataract Canyon. I need to finish the rough draft by mid-January, when I receive the galley proof for the second book, Wicked Eddies, to review & edit. So, I'm looking for motivation & encouragement to keep on cranking out those words! What will make meeting this goal especially hard is that I'll be touring November 11-18, cramming 8 events into that week to promote the trade paperback and ebook re-release of A Real Basket Case.

Are you a writer? Have you set a goal for yourself for November? What is it and what's your plan for reaching that goal? Are you working with a group of fellow writers so you can encourage each other? I hope so! Good luck to all of you NaNoWriMo and NaNoTryMo writers out there!

A Blogtalk Radio Interview at GZONE

2011-11-03T06:00:00.001-06:00

Today at 2 PM MST, 4 PM EST, I will be a guest on Giovanni Gelati's GZONE Blogtalk Radio program. I hope you will listen either during the broadcast (when you can phone in with questions) or later from the archives. You can find the program HERE.

Visiting the Barnes & Noble Mystery Book Club

2011-11-01T05:00:00.003-06:00

Today I am a guest author on the Barnes & Noble Mystery Book Club. What is this, you might ask. It's an on-line discussion group at the Barnes & Noble Booksellers website, one of many Genre Book Clubs and Idea Boards that are available to readers at the website.

For those of you who are interested in mysteries (and who among my blog readers isn't?), I suggest you join this free discussion group and participate. The moderator, Becke Davis, is very active is encouraging mystery authors to visit and in posting worthwhile discussion topics.

My guest article today is about "Stretching the Boundaries of a Cozy Mystery," but I'm ready to discuss any topic or answer any question that book club members throw at me. So have at it!

Internet Appearances for A REAL BASKET CASE

2011-10-31T05:00:00.013-06:00

For the trade paperback and ebook re-release of the first book in my Claire Hanover gift basket designer mystery series, A Real Basket Case, I've planned a tightly-packed joint appearances schedule during mid-November in Colorado with fellow Colorado-based mystery author Ann Parker. But, if you don't live in Colorado, don't despair! I'll also be winging my way all over the Internet. Here's where you can catch me:

Monday, October 31 - Sunday, November 6
International Thriller Writers Thriller Roundtable
"What moved you to write your first novel?"
(A very appropriate discussion since A Real Basket Case was my first published novel!)

Tuesday, November 1, all day
Barnes & Noble Mystery Book Club
Guest Post on "Stretching the Boundaries of a Cozy Mystery" and Q&A

Thursday, November 3, 2 PM MST, 4 PM EST
Interview and Discussion on
Gelatis Scoop GZONE Blogtalkradio Program

Sunday, November 6, 5 - 7 PM MST, 7 - 9 PM EST
Question & Answer Session
The Writers Chatroom
One lucky participant will win an autographed copy of A Real Basket Case!

Monday, November 7, all day
Killer Crafts and Crafty Killers
Guest Post "Recipe for a Mystery Lover's Gift Basket" and Q&A

Wednesday, November 9, all day
Pat Bertram Introduces...
Interview and Q&A

Thursday, November 10, all day
dru's book musings
Guest Post on "A Day in the Life of Claire Hanover by Beth Groundwater" and Q&A. I'll give away an autographed copy of A Real Basket Case on this blog, so be sure to comment to enter the contest!

Speaking of contests... I'm running a book giveaway contest at Goodreads, ending November 5th. You can enter it HERE. And for the whole month of November, I'm reactivating my Q&A Discussion group on Goodreads. If you're a Goodreads member, please join and join in the discussions!

Is that enough? I sure hope so!

Judging a Book By Its Cover

2011-10-27T04:30:00.002-06:00

Over at Inkspot today, the blog for Midnight Ink authors, I posted an article about my Midnight Ink book covers and how I've been able to influence their design. Cover art is very, very important in marketing a book, so I, like most authors, tend to obsess over them just a wee bit. ;-) Please read the post and let me know what you think about the topic in the comments.

Today's Mystery Author Guest: Barbara Graham

2011-10-26T05:00:00.000-06:00

As promised yesterday, fellow mystery author Barbara Graham is visiting my blog today. To read her bio and see her photo, please page down to yesterday's post. Above is the cover photo for Murder By Music: The Wedding Quilt, the third book in her quilting mystery series.

In the book, autumn brings cooler temperatures to the Smoky Mountains. While the weather may be cooling down in tiny Park County, Tennessee, crime is heating up. Weevil Beasley, the county's loan shark, is found dead and the body count begins. Sheriff Tony Abernathy is soon up to the top of his bald head in murder and mayhem.

Tony's quiltmaker wife Theo is in the thick of it. When she leads her quilting group on a retreat, a killer follows. While dealing with cranky quilters, distraught hotel owners and unfinished projects, Theo has to keep track of gossip for her husband and barely has time to hand out the pattern for her new mystery quilt.

Below are Barbara's answers to my interview questions. Please leave a comment for Barbara, and if you have a question of your own for her, ask it!

1. Who or what inspired you to start writing and when did you start?

I didn’t write anything down but I remember making up stories in the third grade and at the same time, I stopped learning math. My early stories usually involved my getting a horse or saving the world or my horse and I saving the world. I also told lies if they would keep me out of trouble.

2. What tools and process do you use to “get to know” your characters before and while you’re writing the books?

I like to visualize the whole person. My characters are very real to me no matter if they are irritating, lovable, stupid, bright, or killers. Because most of them are series people, it is a bit like sitting down with old friends and catching up—what’s new? Have you lost weight? Don’t tell me you’re talking to so-and-so again. Have you met the new teacher? What do you think about him?

3. How do you construct your plots? Do you outline or do you write “by the seat of your pants”?

I would love to outline—but—it’s not possible for me without a brain transplant. My writing style is more like the weather map view of a hurricane. I start with the victim and everything swirls around it. The characters totally control the story—an intricate plot without people is less interesting to me. A linear search for the solution is unlikely to hold me and real people have multiple facets to their lives.

4. In the age-old question of character versus plot, which one do you think is most important in a murder mystery and which one do you emphasize in your writing?

Absolutely character.

Why?

Because I believe in a mystery the victim is the most important character in the book. Without a fully conceived victim, I cannot imagine creating the plot. Why does this person die, on this day, in this manner? From there I can find the killer.

5. What is the biggest challenge you’ve faced as a writer and what inspires you and keeps you motivated?

The challenge of finding an agent—so far I’m still failing at that one.
Followed by finding a traditional publisher without an agent—achieved. This was very important to me. I am waaaaay too stubborn to self-publish and my books definitely are better after being edited.

6. What is a typical workday for you and how many hours a day (or week) do you devote to writing?

My workdays are different according to the season. In the winter, when I get the most work done, I hang out on the couch with pen, notebook and a dog. I think. I play with ideas. I take the time to listen to the voices. Then I spend hours at the keyboard, stopping about four o’clock. In the summer, I walk the dogs before it gets too hot, work in the garden and hope I can still remember the ideas that come to me there when I get back inside.

7. What advice do you have to offer to an aspiring author?

Write. Write more and more. Nothing is more valuable for any art form than practice. Musicians play scales. Artists have sketchbooks. Dancers take technique classes. Genius is rare, the rest of us require conferences, classes and critiques. Don’t rely on spell check. Don’t give up. Almost all of us have three to twenty unpublished books behind us.

8. Now here’s a zinger. Tell us something about yourself that you have not revealed in another interview yet. Something as simple as your favorite TV show or food will do.

I love Big Bang Theory!

9. What are you working on now and what are your future writing plans?

I’m doing publicity for Murder by Music: The Wedding Quilt which has on-sale date of 11/11/11 (how cool is that?). I’m doing rewrites for next year’s release Murder by Vegetable: The Baby Quilt and am plotting another in the series.

I am still searching for an agent, especially to represent a non-cozy suspense I have written.

10. Is there anything else you would like to tell my blog readers?

Visit my website please! I rarely blog, so thank you Beth for letting me chat on yours. I love to talk to readers, writers and quilters—although I realize I am geographically challenged by living where I do (think Yellowstone National Park)—I do enjoy traveling.

Thanks, Barbara! Now, who has a comment or question for her?

Tomorrow's Guest: Barbara Graham

2011-10-25T05:00:00.001-06:00

Tomorrow, fellow mystery author Barbara Graham will be a guest on my blog. Barbara publishes with Five Star Books, who started my gift basket designer series, and that's how we got to know each other and become friends.

Barbara Graham began making up stories in the third grade. Learning to multiply and divide paled in comparison. Born and mostly raised in the Texas Panhandle, she later lived in Denver, New Orleans and East Tennessee. Inspiration for Silersville comes from her Tennessee period. An unrepentant quilting addict, she has been a travel agent, ballet teacher and stay-at-home mom. She lives in Wyoming with her long suffering husband and two dogs. She is a long distance member of various writing groups including—Mystery Writers of America, Rocky Mountain Fiction Writers, Sisters in Crime and International Thriller Writers.

In her guest post tomorrow, Barbara answers my interview questions, and I'm sure you'll be intrigued by what she has to say. Then, feel free to ask her some questions of your own in the comments.

Cover Art! Cover Art! Woot! Woot! Woot!

2011-10-21T12:29:00.005-06:00

My Midnight Ink editor sent the cover art yesterday for the second book in my RM Outdoor Adventures mystery series, Wicked Eddies. that will be released in May, 2012. I know I'm biased, but I think it's absolutely stunning. What do YOU think?

Today's Colorado Author Guest: Terry Odell

2011-10-20T05:00:00.003-06:00

As promised yesterday, fellow Colorado author Terry Odell is visiting my blog today. To read her bio and see her photo, please page down to yesterday's post. Above is the cover photo for Finding Sarah, the first book in her Pine Hills Police series. Terry recently regained the rights to the books in this series and republished them as ebooks after updating them.

Here's a short blurb for the book. Being robbed at gunpoint wasn’t part of Sarah Tucker’s business plan. Neither was falling in love with the detective who arrived to solve the case. For police detective Randy Detweiler, a routine robbery investigation turns into the biggest challenge of his career when he falls in love with the victim and ends up having to save more than her business.

Below are Terry's answers to my interview questions. Please leave a comment for Terry, and if you have a question of your own for her, ask it!

1. Who or what inspired you to start writing and when did you start?

Inspiration? I ran out of room on my walls for needlepoint. I'm not one of those who wrote her first book in crayon. I was a card-carrying AARP member before I started writing, and it was more of a whim. You can find the whole story on my website. Look for "How I Became a Write By Mistake" on my homepage.

2. What tools and process do you use to “get to know” your characters before and while you’re writing the books?

I follow Deb Dixon's GMC (Goal, Motivation, Conflict) method. I need to know what my characters want, why they want it, and what I can throw in their paths. For example, in FINDING SARAH, I created a cop who saw his job in black and white. I needed to know how far I could push him before he'd cross the line into shades of gray. In addition, because he became a cop because he wanted to help people, the heroine was a woman who wanted nothing more than to exert her independence, no matter what it took.

3. How do you construct your plots? Do you outline or do you write “by the seat of your pants”?

I'm a pantser, or perhaps, more accurately, a "plantser" because I do plan things out. Just not too far in advance. I use an "idea board" to brainstorm my plots, and a "tracking board" to keep me on the right path. I've got a description of my methods on my website—look for "Plotting for Non-Plotters."

4. In the age-old question of character versus plot, which one do you think is most important in a murder mystery or romantic suspense novel and which one do you emphasize in your writing? Why?

I'm character driven. Also, most of my books are categorized as romantic suspense, not murder mysteries. I've managed to have 7 books published, most of which don't center around a murder. Hidden Fire, the sequel to Finding Sarah, is one of the few that might be considered a classic murder mystery. Realistically, homicides in small towns don't happen the way they did on Murder She Wrote, and there are plenty of other monkey wrenches to throw into the lives of my characters. I disagree that a "mystery" automatically assumes a murder, but that's a topic for another day.

5. What is the biggest challenge you’ve faced as a writer and what inspires you and keeps you motivated?

Traditional publishers had very narrow ranges of what makes a viable book. Since I write what I want, and not necessarily what traditional publishers are looking for, getting someone to publish my books is the biggest challenge.

Although I consider my books to be 'Mysteries with Relationships", given the publishing definitions, they're called Romantic Suspense. However, I'm definitely a mystery lover, NOT a suspense lover. There's a basic difference in the two sub-genres, and it's a matter of preference, not right/wrong or good/bad. Plus in romantic suspense, you also have to resolve a hero/heroine relationship in one book, not across a series, the way you can in a mystery series. I did break the rules when I wrote a sequel to Finding Sarah. Hidden Fire actually follows the same hero and heroine in another mystery.

Now, the rapid changes in the world of publishing make it possible for someone like me to take the rights back to my earlier books and make them available to readers who enjoy reading books that stray from the narrower confines of traditional publishers. And, I can continue to write what I want, knowing there's a market for them.

6. What advice do you have to offer to an aspiring author?

Read. Write. Read. Read. Write, Write, and read some more. Writing should be as necessary as breathing. Barf it up first, fix it later. Get the words on the page. You can't fix a blank page.

7. Now here’s a zinger. Tell us something about yourself that you have not revealed in another interview yet. Something as simple as your favorite TV show or food will do.

When I was at Ralph Waldo Emerson Jr. High, all 7th graders had to write an essay about the school's namesake. There was a prize (of which I was totally unaware) and I was summoned to the auditorium for the annual award ceremony to receive my five silver dollars. (Given that the award assembly was for graduating 9th graders, I was totally out of place.) However, that really didn't inspire me to become a writer. It was an essay, nothing more than one more homework assignment.

8. What are you working on now and what are your future writing plans?

I've got a straight mystery with my editor, and I'm looking forward to publishing something outside of the romantic suspense world. I'm also writing another romantic suspense in my Pine Hills Police series—this one featuring new protagonists, but with many of the same characters from the first two books. I'm also considering putting together a few more short mystery stories featuring James T. Kirkland, a character who appears in a short story anthology, Deception, published by Highland Press. And of course, the boys from the covert side of Blackthorne, Inc. are always clamoring for their turn as heroes of another book.

9. Is there anything else you would like to tell my blog readers?

You can find me at my website. I have a new quarterly newsletter, and I hope you'll sign up for my mailing list. I also have a blog, Terry's Place, and I hope you'll follow me there. Keep an eye on the Deals and Steals tab—you'll never know what you might find.

Thanks, Terry! Now, who has a comment or question for her?

Tomorrow's Guest: Terry Odell

2011-10-19T05:00:00.002-06:00

Tomorrow fellow Colorado author Terry Odell will be a guest on my blog. Terry was born in Los Angeles, moved to Florida, and now makes her home in Colorado. An avid reader (her parents tell everyone they had to move from their first home because she finished the local library), she always wanted to "fix" stories so the characters did what she wanted. Once she began writing, she found this wasn't always possible, as evidenced when the mystery she intended to write rapidly became a romance. When she thought about it, she realized that her favorite mysteries were series where she could follow the developing relationships of the protagonist—to the point where she'd read the book twice; once for the relationship and again to follow the crime and its solution. So, she started reading romance, and found there was a genre that included mystery themes as well as a relationship. Although her genre is labeled "romantic suspense", Terry prefers to think of her books as "Mysteries With Relationships."

In her guest post tomorrow, Terry answers my interview questions, and I'm sure you'll be intrigued by what she has to say. Then, feel free to ask her some questions of your own in the comments.

Email Newsletters - What's Your Opinion?

2011-10-18T05:00:00.002-06:00

Like many authors, I sporadically send an email newsletter out to subscribers. In it, I give news about upcoming releases and appearances, share other news such as book contracts and short story publications and great reviews, announce contest winners, and generally let my readers know what I've been up to lately.

Unlike many authors, I don't add colors or photos to my newsletter. I stick with plain black and white text and some active links, so for those readers with slow Internet connections, the newsletter loads quickly. I'm also quick to admit that I'm a dinosaur when it comes to learning new software packages. So, my newsletters don't contain fancy columns, type font changes, moving parts (such as dancing elves) or sound. And I try to keep them short, to no more than two pages in length when I draft them in Microsoft Word.

Also unlike many authors, I don't automatically subscribe friends and relatives, fellow authors and my Facebook and Goodreads friends. I'm a firm believer that doing so is spamming, and that people should explicitly have to "opt-in" to become a subscriber. That's why many of my relatives and close friends still don't receive it. They haven't asked for it. I use a service, Vertical Response, that keeps track of my subscriber database and allows people to opt-out every time they receive a newsletter--and usually a few do.

This brings me to the whole reason I wrote this post. I'm wondering if my readers feel the same way that I do about these email newsletter issues. Or, am I boring you with my plain Jane style? Would you rather have colors and photos and columns and fancy fonts? Are you insulted when you meet me at a conference or writing event and I don't automatically sign you up for my newsletter--or are you relieved? Should I send out my email newsletter more often, say once a month or once every two months instead of the four or so times a year that I do now (when I have something interesting to report)?

I'm really interested in hearing your opinions. Let me know what you think! And if you have suggestions for me on how to improve my email newsletter, please share them in the comments. Lastly, if you feel like you've been missing out and want to subscribe, go HERE. Thank-you!

A Box, an Interview, a Panel, and a Giveaway

2011-10-14T05:00:00.003-06:00

What do all of these things have in common? They are signs that the promotion for the upcoming November re-release by Midnight Ink of A Real Basket Case, the first book in my Claire Hanover gift basket designer mystery series, is ramping up.

The box was delivered the day before yesterday and contained my author copies of the trade paperback version (the ebook version will be released in November, too). I also put in an order for a few more copies, so I'll have enough on hand for my November appearances in case the host bookstores didn't order enough copies.

The interview can be read on Andrea Gonzales's blog. Though it focuses on Deadly Currents, the first book in my RM Outdoor Adventure mystery series starring whitewater river ranger Mandy Tanner, it is a harbinger of interviews and guest blog posts to come in early November. Stay tuned here for dates, times, links and details.

The panel will occur this Saturday, October 15th. I will be appearing on a Mystery/Suspense Authors Panel that also includes David Boop and Warren Hammond for the Denver Writers Meetup from 1:00 to 4:00 PM at the Englewood Public Library, 1000 Englewood Parkway, Englewood, CO 80110. If you're in the area, please come to this free event!

And the giveaway is a Goodreads giveaway of a free copy of A Real Basket Case that starts tomorrow, October 15th and runs through November 5th. If you're a Goodreads member, go HERE to enter the giveaway.

Hiking in Rocky Mountain National Park

2011-10-13T05:00:00.008-06:00

Last week I posted photos from my husband's and my book research trip in Moab, Utah. The week following that trip, we stayed in Estes Park, Colorado for a week so we could do some hiking among the golden aspens and mountains of Rocky Mountain National Park and so we could spy on some of the horny elk during their bugling season.

But first, we stopped off at the Colorado National Monument near Grand Junction that is slated to become a national park soon. The first photo below is of Window Rock there, the second is of the Coke Ovens formation, and the third is of me in the Devil's Kitchen.

Our first full day in Estes Park, we drove up the dirt Old Fall River Road to the Alpine Visitor Center then came back down the Trail Ridge Road. The first photo is of Chasm Falls and the second is of the mountains from the top of Trail Ridge Road. The third is of a marmot we spied alongside the road and the fourth is just one example of the many gorgeous fall color photos my husband took.

In the afternoon, we hiked to Nymph Lake (first photo below), Dream Lake (second photo) and Emerald Lake (third photo) from the Bear Lake trailhead.

The second full day in the park we hiked to Ouzel Falls (first photo below) from the Wild Basin trailhead in the morning, then took our son, who arrived in the afternoon, down to the Estes Park golf course to see the elk and geese there (next two photos).

The third day, all three of us hiked to Alberta Falls (first photo below) and The Loch (second photo) from the Glacier Basin trailhead. While all of our hikes were beautiful, I think this one was the most breathtaking. The third photo shows our son on a rock overhanging Glacier Creek and the fourth shows me and my hubby among some of the dazzling aspens.

On the last full day in the park, we took our son up the Trail Ridge Road to see the sights from the overlooks and hike the Alpine Communities Trail at 12,500 feet. After he left in the early afternoon, I hiked to The Pool on the Big Thompson River from the Fern Lake trailhead (photo below). Then we observed elk stags in rut in the late afternoon: herding their does (second photo below), bugling (third photo), and sparring (last photo).

It was hard to have to go back to work promoting books at the Mountains & Plains Independent Booksellers Trade Show the next afternoon!

A Bargain!

2011-10-11T05:00:00.003-06:00

I want to alert my blog readers to bargain prices for those who pre-order the trade paperback re-release of the first book in my Claire Hanover gift basket designer mystery series, A Real Basket Case. Its release date will be November 8th, and its list price will be $14.96. However, both Barnes & Noble and Amazon have it priced at just over $10 for pre-orders. I have no control over these sale prices, and I don't know how long they'll last. So, if you want one, I suggest you order now!

Promoting a Re-Release

2011-10-10T05:30:00.001-06:00

On Inkspot today, the blog for Midnight Ink authors, I talk about my plans (including a book giveaway contest!) to promote the trade paperback and ebook re-release of A Real Basket Case, the first book in my Claire Hanover gift basket designer mystery series, which was released in hardcover in 2007. I ask Inkspot readers for suggestions of other ways I can promote a re-release. I'm looking for activities that are fairly inexpensive and that won't take a lot of time away from my writing schedule for Cataract Canyon, the third book in my RM Outdoor Adventure series. I'd love to see some out-of-the-box suggestions there, so please stop by and leave a comment for me!

Book Research Trip to Moab, Utah: Part Three

2011-10-08T06:00:00.008-06:00

On the last two days, I posted photos from the first two thirds of my book research trip to Moab, Utah. I'll finish up today with photos from the last day of my 3-day, 100-mile trip on the Colorado River through Meander Canyon and Cataract Canyon and on into Lake Powell. The last day of the river trip started with the three biggest rapids of the whole journey, Big Drop 1, 2, and 3. The photo below shows our boatman Dave powering upstream while scouting a rapid downstream over his shoulder to find the best path through it.

In the photos below, you'll see how wet we got (from head to toe--see the water pouring off the rafter in the first photo) and how carefully we're clutching on to the boat ropes and metal handholds to stay INSIDE the J-rig. We did not want to swim those rapids!

However, in a gentler class II rapid downstream, the guides said folks could try swimming a rapid, and my adventuresome hubby jumped in (see below).

After running the last eight rapids, we reached the placid waters of Lake Powell (first photo below) that had backed up into Cataract Canyon and flooded the remaining rapids. We beached at Dark Canyon to eat lunch and hike through a muddy stream bed back to a short waterfall (second and third photos below). Then it was my turn for a swim in Lake Powell (last photo below).

A great feature of the trip was a scenic ride in a six-seater airplane from Hite Marina on Lake Powell back to the Moab airport. We were able to see many of the places we'd been from the air, including Lake Powell (first photo), the Big Drop rapids (second photo), the confluence of the Green and Colorado Rivers (third photo) and the area where we hiked over the relatively lower spot in the canyon wall from one side of "The Loop" to the other. The last photo below shows the plane.

That night we took hot showers, soaked in the motel's hot tub, changed into clean clothes, ate a delicious Thai dinner in town, and fell into soft, comfy beds. Ah! The next day was a very full one. First we drove into the Island in the Sky portion of Canyonlands National Park and visited all of the overlooks and the famous Mesa Arch (photo below).

Then we drove the dirt switchback Shafer Trail (first photo below) down to a remote overlook (second photo below). There were several EEK moments on that trail!

After that we visited Dead Horse Point State Park to look down on a river section that we had rafted days before. Then we rushed over to Arches National Park so my hubby could capture a couple of more iconic photos before the sun set. Balanced Rock is in the first photo and Delicate Arch is in the second. The last one shows the mass of photographers from all over the world who at the ready to take that sought-after sunset shot of Delicate Arch.

We made friends with some of the photographers who had flashlights (we'd rushed up the 1.5 mile trail without ours) and hiked back in the dark with them lighting the way. After a delicious Mexican dinner at 9 PM, we fell into bed. A jam-packed week in Moab, and we still want to go back!

Book Research Trip to Moab, Utah: Part Two

2011-10-07T06:00:00.010-06:00

As I posted yesterday, my hubby and I recently traveled to Moab, Utah so I could conduct research for the third book in my Rocky Mountain Outdoor Adventures mystery series starring whitewater river ranger Mandy Tanner. In that book, Mandy and her lover and outfitter business partner, Rob Juarez, will lead a multi-day rafting trip down 100 miles of the Colorado River in Utah, through the stillwaters of Meander Canyon and the class III and IV whitewater rapids of Cataract Canyon, one of the most remote whitewater rafting canyons in the United States. So, of course, I had to take the same trip!

Here are some photos from that amazing journey. First are some petroglyphs, rock art carved by ancestral Puebloans into the desert patina of the cliffside that could be seen along the road to our put-in at the Potash Boat Ramp west of Moab on the Colorado River.

The photo below shows boatman Dave and me loading the J-rig, a configuration of two large pontoons with a metal platform slung between them that is powered by an outboard motor in the back. Beside the J-rig is a high-speed motorized launch from Tag-A-Long (the highly recommended outfitter we used for our trip) that drops and picks up canoes and paddlers from various places in Meander Canyon. The next photo shows an early stop in our journey at a petrified forest site below Dead Horse Point, with river guide Justin peering at one large, long log.

The photo below is of a party flotilla we encountered in Meander Canyon (heavy drinking involved, I'm sure!), and the one after that is of a ancient granary across the river from Lathrop Canyon. The third photo shows the "bathtub ring," a white layer of rock that is very striking in parts of the canyon.

The next two photos are from our hike over a short intersection between two loops in the Colorado River, while Dave and Justin took the boat four miles around the meander to meet us on the other side. The first photo shows me climbing up on one side and second shows the two of us overlooking the other side and the beach where we camped that evening. The third photo shows the kitchen set up at that camp and the last is of sunset bathing the rocks with beautiful orange light. A wonderful first day!

On the morning of the second day of our 3-day trip, we motored down to the confluence with the Green River, which swelled the volume of the Colorado River to about 12,000 cfs (cubic feet per second). For the Cataract Canyon section, this was a fairly low volume of water, which can rise to around 60,000 cfs in spring flood season. Below the confluence, we pulled in to register at the danger sign for our campsite that evening (see below).

The next stop was at a large flat beach area called Spanish Bottom, where we hiked to the Doll House formation at the top of the canyon rim after going through a field of moonflowers (see below). These plants are also called sacred datura or jimson weed and were used by the native Americans to induce hallucinations during ceremonies. The second photo shows part of the Doll House formation at the top and the third shows the view down to the river from there.

Now, on to the rapids! Cataract Canyon contains 28 major class III or class IV rapids within its 30 miles. We didn't get a whole lot of photos of the rapids because we were supposed to hold on with BOTH hands when we went through them. I told my dear hubby I'd rather he'd hold on than snap photos for me, so the ones he took were just before or just after running a rapid.

We pulled out for the night after rapid 20 and just before the next three rapids, which are called Big Drop 1, 2, and 3. We walked down the river bank to see what we had to look forward to the next day. Below is a photo of Big Drop 1, and here's a link to a video of it, with myself and one of my fellow rafters added for size: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pTqh6OgR9rA

The last photo is of our campsite on Big Drop Beach the second night. I plan to post photos tomorrow from the last day of the rafting trip and of the next day we spent in Moab at Canyonlands National Park.

Book Research Trip to Moab, Utah: Part One

2011-10-06T09:14:00.007-06:00

It's taken me longer than I wanted to get this post up on my blog, but my photographer hubby came home from our travels with a head cold that turned into a sinus infection with fever, which incapacitated him. He's on antibiotics now and feeling much better, so he's started processing the photos that I've picked out from our trip to share with you.

We went to Moab, Utah so I could conduct research for the third book in my Rocky Mountain Outdoor Adventures mystery series starring whitewater river ranger Mandy Tanner. In that book, Mandy and her lover and outfitter business partner, Rob Juarez, will lead a multi-day rafting trip down 100 miles of the Colorado River in Utah, through the stillwaters of Meander Canyon and the class III and IV whitewater rapids of Cataract Canyon, one of the most remote whitewater rafting canyons in the United States. So, of course, I wanted to take that same trip.

I signed my husband and I up to take a 5-day trip down the Colorado River with Tag-A-Long Expeditions, a Moab-based adventure outfitting business that I highly recommend. The week before we showed up in Moab, I called with questions, one of which was how many people would be taking the trip with us. The answer was none. September is the end of the rafting season, and no one else wanted to commit to such a long trip at that time. Tag-A-Long was still willing to take us on the 5-day trip in an oared raft. But they asked me if I'd be willing to take a 3-day trip on a motorized J-rig instead, because they had other clients signed up for the shorter trip. Along with refunding us the price difference for the shorter trip, they threw in free 1-day expeditions to other locations for the two days we'd be giving up. I explained that I was taking the trip for book research and I needed to visit and photograph all of the campsites and lunch spots where outfitters normally stop on a 5-day trip. They were happy to accommodate my request.

So, today's post will cover our first 2.5 days in Moab, our arrival day and the two 1-day expeditions before we started on the 3-day trip. Tomorrow, I'll post photos from the 3-day trip. Below is a photo of Milt's, a local diner that I will feature in the book and where we ate yummy shakes and burgers and some awesome tater tots. The next photo is from the local high school's homecoming parade the afternoon we arrived, with a jeep dressed up as a "Red Devil" (their team) crushing the opposition "Rams" symbolized by a Dodge Ram with balloon horns. Very creative, I thought.

The next set of seven photos are from the 1-day oared raft trip we took through Westwater Canyon, which is on a section of the Colorado River northeast of Moab. It was a boatload of whitewater thrills and fun, even though the day started out overcast and blustery cool. The first photo shows the guides outfitting the three rafts at the put-in, and the second shows my hubby and I with our splash jackets and lifejackets on, ready for adventure.

The next photo shows the first big rapid we hit and the one after that shows our lunch stop. In the third photo, try to find the other raft in the middle of the rapid. It shows you the large scale of these class III and IV rapids.

The next photo shows the "Room of Doom" whirlpool eddy off to the right of the rapid between high rock walls. The surface of the water in that eddy is much lower than that in the rapid, with an "eddy fence" of higher water between the two. In high water, especially, if a raft gets trapped in that eddy, it's impossible to power back over the eddy fence into the main river. Rafters have to abandon the raft, climb out along the canyon wall to a quiet spot farther down the river and get picked up by other rafts. Then the company has to come back with a motorized launch and use ropes to pull the raft out. And just in front of the eddy fence is a huge "hole" (dangerous vertical whirlpool) that has to be avoided. The line to run with the raft is between the sharp rock in the center-left and the hole.

The last photo in this set shows my hubby and I resting on the stillwater section at the end of the trip in the sun that thankfully appeared in the afternoon. A fun day!

The next set of eight photos are from our next 1-day expedition with Tag-A-Long, four-wheeling out to remote Horseshoe Canyon (sign below), then hiking down into it to view panels of native American rock art. This rock art is pictographs, images painted on the rock, versus petroglyphs, which are chipped into the dark desert patina on the rocks (you'll see some of those tomorrow here).

The photo below shows some really cool-looking cryptobiotic soil, a crust formed by a mix of lichens, mosses, fungi, algae and cyanobacteria which secrete a mucus that holds clumps of soil together. These teeny tiny organisms do a huge job of retaining water and controlling erosion in the desert environment.

The next three photos are of different panels of rock art in the canyon.

The photo below shows our hiking group on the floor of the canyon, picking our way through quivering, jelly-like quicksand mud that thankfully was only a few inches deep.

One more photo of some interesting ceremonial figures in the rock art, then the last photo shows four of us back up on the rim of the canyon after hiking out. A very interesting day that provided some "local color" that will go into the book. More tomorrow!

Getting Outdoors So I Can Be More Productive Indoors Later

2011-09-29T08:21:00.002-06:00

Things have been quiet here on my blog because I've been busy getting outdoors the last two weeks. Last week was spent in the Moab, Utah area researching my third RM Outdoor Adventures mystery book, which will be titled Cataract Canyon. I spent 4 days rafting on the Colorado River, 1.5 in stillwater and 2.5 in whitewater, to research the river sections, including Cataract Canyon, that will appear in that book. I also had a heck of a lot of fun! I ate at a restaurant in Moab that will appear in the book, hiked in Horseshoe Canyon to view some native American rock art and learn more about it, and took lots and lots of notes on "local color" that will flavor the writing of the book.

And this week my husband and I have been vacationing in Rocky Mountain National Park, hiking every day to waterfalls, mountain lakes and awesome vistas. We timed our visit perfectly for the peak of the aspen fall colors and elk bugling season. My spirit is being refreshed, and I'm sucking in great lungfuls of cool, clean air while exercising my limbs. All this will prepare me to plop my butt in the chair come Monday and get back to work writing the manuscript for Cataract Canyon. I'll return to posting my weekly progress here--and I hope to share some great photos from my travels, too. So stay tuned!

Splashing Into Some Deadly Research

2011-09-21T05:30:00.003-06:00

Over at Inkspot today, the blog for Midnight Ink authors, I'm talking about the remote whitewater rafting trip I'm taking this week to conduct research for the third book in my RM Outdoor Adventures mystery series starring whitewater river ranger Mandy Tanner. Please stop by and make a comment. As soon as I get back to dry land and someplace with wifi access, I'll respond.

If you're a writer, what is an interesting/dangerous research experience you've gone through to make your fiction realistic? If you're a reader, how much realism do you expect in a fictional mystery, and do you enjoy mysteries that take place in risky outdoor settings or activities?

My Made It Moment

2011-09-15T07:00:00.002-06:00

Jenny Milchman on her Suspense Your Disbelief blog features guest authors talking about their "Made It Moment". Today is my turn. Please go to her blog and read about my experience and let me know what you think. Have you had a "Made It Moment" in your career, whatever it is? Please share what it was in the comments.

Today's Mystery Author Guest: Kathleen Ernst

2011-09-13T05:00:00.002-06:00

As promised yesterday, fellow mystery author Kathleen Ernst is visiting my blog today. To read her bio and see her photo, please page down to yesterday's post. Above is the cover photo for her September 8th release from Midnight Ink, The Heirloom Murders, the second book in her Chloe Ellefson/Historic Sites series.

Working for Old World Wisconsin, Chloe Ellefson delights in losing herself in antiques and folk traditions--and forgetting her messy love life. Then the outdoor ethnic museum becomes a murder scene. Does the missing Eagle diamond, a legendary gemstone unearthed in 1876, have anything to do with it? Could Simon Sabatola, a rich AgriFutures executive who possibly drove his wife to suicide, be responsible? Chloe learns that some things never change in this compelling mystery of old-fashioned greed, Swiss green cheese, and a nearly-extinct heirloom flower.

What an interesting mix of ingredients for a mystery! Below is Kathleen's guest article. She's giving a book away to one lucky commenter, so please leave a comment with your opinion to enter the drawing.

Should a Series Protagonist Grow and Change?
by Kathleen Ernst

At a mystery convention I attended last winter, one of the honored guests—a bestselling thriller author—said that characters in series should never change. Once a complex character has been created, he said, leave him or her alone. This allows readers to enjoy a series without worrying about the sequence, picking up individual titles in any order without any surprises or confusion.

Well, I was a bit surprised and confused by his advice. I wrote stand-alones for years before creating my Chloe Ellefson Historic Sites series, and I always thought about how the character would grow and change within the book. It never occurred to me to approach my Chloe mysteries any differently.

After the guest spoke, the panel moderator agreed that he “hated it” when a character changed. In his opinion, readers want to escape with a reliable hero and want to be able to anticipate what a character will do in each book.

OK, I thought, perhaps this advice applies primarily to action-driven thrillers. Then a well-known mystery author chimed in by saying it was “ridiculous” to expect characters to grow and change in each book.

I’ve given this a lot of thought, and I respectfully disagree.

When I read mysteries I admire great plots, but if I don’t care about the characters I won’t want to go on long multi-book rides with them. I’m not saying that a protagonist needs to face an enormous personal crisis in each volume, but I do expect them to be in at least a slightly different emotional place by the last page.

As my series progresses, Chloe--curator at a living history museum--will in each book have a murder to help solve. She will also confront a personal issue. In Old World Murder, Chloe has to decide if she cares enough about her new job to stick around. In The Heirloom Murders, an old flame arrives unexpectedly, complicating her new relationship with local cop Roelke McKenna. In the course of solving the puzzle, she’ll figure out something important that affects her personal problem as well.

I’m having a lot of fun thinking and planning ahead, visualizing a series arc created by the individual arc of each book. But…how about you? I’m fascinated by the question of growth and change in a series protagonist, and I’d love to get your opinion!

I’m grateful to Beth for allowing me to celebrate publication of The Heirloom Murders: A Chloe Ellefson Mystery by guest-posting here. And I’m grateful to readers! I love my work, and I’d be nowhere without you. Leave a comment, and your name will go into a drawing for a free book. The winner can choose any of my seventeen titles. The Heirloom Murders, one of my American Girl mysteries, a Civil War novel—the choice will be yours! To learn more, please visit my website.

Tomorrow's Guest: Kathleen Ernst

2011-09-12T05:00:00.005-06:00

Tomorrow fellow mystery author Kathleen Ernst will be a guest on my blog. Kathleen also writes for my publisher, Midnight Ink. Her latest project taps into the decade she spent as a curator at a large historic site. Old World Murder is the first Chloe Ellefson/Historic Sites mystery, and the second in the series, The Heirloom Murders has just been released. Kathleen’s fiction for young readers includes eight historical mysteries. Honors for her work include Agatha and Edgar nominations. Kathleen lives and writes in Wisconsin, but she takes great pleasure in research trips to new locales!

In her guest post tomorrow, Kathleen Ernst will discuss whether or not a series protagonist should grow and change. She wants to know what you, my readers, think about this topic, and I hope you'll tune in tomorrow and provide some answers. Plus, feel free to ask Kathleen some questions of your own.

Third Week's Word Count

2011-09-10T19:56:00.002-06:00

Today I'm hanging my head low. After getting off to a roaring start for the first two weeks of writing the rough draft manuscript for Cataract Canyon, the third book in my RM Outdoor Adventure mystery series, my word count this week was a measly 1,000 words or so, for a total to-date of 12,000 words. My goal was to be at 14,000 words by now, so I'm behind. Groan!

What's the reason for the slippage? A multitude of real-life and writing-life conflicts reared their heads. I lost about two days to our once-a-month transfer from our Breckenridge home to our Colorado Springs one, a 50th anniversary celebration in Denver for family friends, a half-day hike with another friend, and packing up boxes to transfer to Breckenridge the next time we go up. I lost another two days to the RMMWA meeting where my editor spoke on a panel of two, to a long lunch (2.5 hrs!) with my agent and editor, and to the RMFW Colorado Gold conference book signing. I had volunteered to help set-up for the signing, then there was the signing itself, and the all-important gabbing and catching up with conference attendees before and after.

Finally, I lost about a day to hitting a research gap that affected the plot and trying to work through it. It was a question that will be answered when I take my Cataract Canyon whitewater rafting trip the week after next, but to continue to make writing progress, I needed to know the answer this week. I found enough information to start up again and added about 1,000 words, but the week was too far gone to do more.

Tracking my progress publicly also means tracking my lack-of-progress when I fail to meet my goals, so here it is. I hope my report at the end of next week will be better. It couldn't be much worse!

An Update on A Fishy Role Model

2011-09-05T15:45:00.003-06:00

On August 15th, I blogged about a new star in the Groundwater family, my husband's aunt, Lenore Groundwater. A spry 93-year-old, she still travels and loves to fish off her son Lance's fishing boat in Valdez, Alaska in the summers. At the time of that blog post, she had just landed a 16.5 pound silver salmon, winning the Valdez Women's Silver Salmon Derby and beating out probably 800 competitors.

The new news about Lenore is that this catch netted her the additional prize of second overall winner in the Valdez Silver Salmon Derby, an event open to all anglers, young and old, men and women. The event started July 23 and ended around noon Sunday. The second place prize was a check for $5000, which Lenore plans to distribute among her grandchildren and great grandchildren.

To learn more and see a photo of Lenore wearing her prize tiara, read the article in her hometown newspaper, the Arizona Star. Needless to say, her whole family is button-popping proud of her!

Second Week's Word Count

2011-09-03T07:00:00.002-06:00

As I posted last Saturday, to keep myself accountable, I'm going to publish my weekly word count at the end of each week on my Work-in-Progress, Cataract Canyon, the third book in my RM Outdoor Adventure Mystery series starring whitewater river ranger Mandy Tanner. Last week, my total was almost 7000 words, and this week it was a little over 4000 words, for a total to date of about 11,000 words.

The estimate is hazy because I discovered that I had an old version of the file on my memory stick after driving from our Colorado Springs home to our Breckenridge home. I was missing a half day's work. I'm hoping that when I get back to Colorado Springs, the version with that work will still be there and I can do a merge of the current file and that one and move on. Otherwise, I'll have to rewrite it. In the meantime, I'm moving on in the file I have.

I wrote fewer words this week for a couple of good reasons, so I'm not unhappy with the count. First, my grown daughter and a friend visited for a few days while on a 3-week cross-country tour, and spending time with her was more important than writing. Second, in the book, I've gotten to the point where the whitewater rafters have launched their rafts and begun the trip. However, I won't be taking the trip myself for two more weeks. So, I got bogged down with having to do some online research. I learned enough to keep on making progress, with some holes that will get filled after I take my trip.

My Life as a Book 2011

2011-09-01T05:00:00.001-06:00

I saw this meme on Kaye Barley's Meanderings and Muses blog recently, and I just had to give it a go. If you want to play, please join us. All you have to do is fill in the blank with a book you've read this year.

My Life as a Book 2011

One time at band/summer camp, I: climbed a ridge and gained An Elevated View (W. C. Jameson, editor)
Weekends at my house are: Carte Blanche (Jeffery Deaver)
My neighbor is: kind by Force of Habit (Alice Loweecey)
My boss was: hard-driving and had a Killer Instinct (Marilyn Victor & Michael Allen Mallory)
My ex was: On the Wrong Track (Steven Hockensmith), so I dumped him
My superhero secret identity is: The Book Thief (Markus Zusak)
You wouldn't like me when I'm angry because: my eyes shoot fire like Diamonds for the Dead (Alan Orloff)
I'd win a gold medal in: Bingo Barge Murder (Jessie Chandler)
I'd pay good money for: Quick Service (P. G. Wodehouse)
If I were president, I would: put out a call for Those Who Save Us (Jenna Blum)
When I don't have good books, I: Moon Over Water on a hike or rafting trip (Debbie Macomer)
Loud talkers at the movies should be: Left Neglected (Lisa Genova)

Feeling Uncomfortable

2011-08-30T05:30:00.001-06:00

Over at Inkspot today, the blog for Midnight Ink authors, I'm talking about doing things that make you feel uncomfortable. Go ahead! Write a comment there--even if it makes you feel uncomfortable. :)

First Week's Word Count

2011-08-27T06:00:00.003-06:00

To keep myself accountable, I'm going to publish my weekly word count at the end of each week on my Work-in-Progress, the third book in my RM Outdoor Adventure Mystery series starring whitewater river ranger Mandy Tanner. I usually get off to a good start on my rough draft manuscripts, because both I and the characters are raring to go once I stop work on my scene outline and character profiles and start writing. Where I tend to bog down is in the middle, and hopefully this public accounting will get me over that hump.

My goal for this week was 5000 words, and by working last night, I managed to write almost 7000 words, finishing chapters one and two. I'm very pleased with this progress, though I know the early chapters will need a lot of refining after I take my research trip to Cataract Canyon in Utah in September, which is the setting (and title) for the book.

Today, I'm teaching a workshop to a group of 35 middle-school-aged Girl Scouts at their CSI-themed campout near Woodland Park. Titled "Constructing a Mystery," I hope it gets their creative juices flowing, so they can brain-storm some potential mystery scenarios of their own.

Sweet Success

2011-08-26T10:12:00.004-06:00

I am a member of the Pikes Peak Writers multi-genre writing group that is located in Colorado Springs. Membership is FREE, and the organization hosts a number of events in the local area, including monthly "Write Brain" seminars, member meet-and-greet nights at the downtown Poor Richard's Bookstore, and the annual Pikes Peak Writers Conference in the spring. If you live in the area, are a writer and aren't already a member, I hope you'll join and become active in PPW.

Pikes Peak Writes also produces a blog, Writing From the Peak, where bloggers post articles on the craft and business of writing, and periodically post a "Sweet Success" article of members' writing successes. I am featured in today's article, along with fantasy writer, Carol Berg. I hope you'll check it out and leave a comment!

A Worthwhile Column: Letting Go of the Negative

2011-08-24T08:55:00.004-06:00

I read this column in the Opinion page of the Summit Daily News this morning and had to share it with my blog readers. The topic is about overcoming the fear of running whitewater rapids, but the inspirational message could apply to so many things in people's lives. Enjoy and feel inspired!

Hunkering Down to Write

2011-08-23T19:03:00.002-06:00

I've put myself on a daily and weekly word count schedule for my work-in-progress (Cataract Canyon, the third RM Outdoor Adventures mystery starring whitewater river range Mandy Tanner), so I won't be posting as often as I usually do to my blog. When I have something to say and some moments to type it up, I'll post an item. But otherwise, I'll spend my writing time on the rough draft of the manuscript. I plan to post daily announcements on Goodreads, Facebook, and Google+ on the words I write each day--mostly as a way to crack the whip on myself to keep on making progress. So, if you're interested in how I'm progressing, check my page on one of those social networks.

In the meantime, I could use some words of encouragement! How do you keep yourself motivated to keep on cranking out words on a long manuscript or to keep making progress on a long project? What advice do you have for me--and other writers? I'd appreciate any support or comments you have to offer. Thanks!

Scheduling a Rough Draft

2011-08-19T05:00:00.002-06:00

Back in September of 2010, when I was starting to write the rough draft of the third book in my Claire Hanover gift basket designer mystery series, I wrote a tongue-in-cheek guest post on Kaye Barley's Meanderings and Muses blog about Being Your Own Boss. Well, it's time to crack the whip again on my recalcitrant employee (moi) and set up a weekly writing schedule for cranking out the rough draft of the third book in my RM Outdoor Adventures mystery series featuring whitewater river ranger Mandy Tanner.

As I said on Kaye's blog back then, my average word count per page is about 275 words and my average book length is about 77,000 words or 280 pages. A reasonable output for me is 20 pages a week or 5500 words (I know! Employee Beth is a slow writer.). That means I should be able to write a rough draft in 14 weeks, with a few partial or full weeks added on for vacations, conferences, research, and such. So, I mapped out a schedule for myself from the beginning of next week through the week before Christmas with the number of pages each week I need to write. I've got it posted it next to my computer to keep me on task.

What that means is that I'll be less responsive on social media and email, because I need to avoid getting on-line each day until I've met that day's page count goal. So, if you see me responding to an email or posting on Facebook before noon, Mountain Time, please feel free to chew me out! I'm likely avoiding some sticky scene in the manuscript. :)

Laying the Groundwork for a Rough Draft

2011-08-17T05:00:00.002-06:00

I've been working on laying the groundwork for a new mystery manuscript, the third book in the RM Outdoor Adventures mystery series starring whitewater river ranger Mandy Tanner. The first book, Deadly Currents, was released by Midnight Ink in March this year. The second, Wicked Eddies, will be released in May of 2012, and this third one, that I'm calling Cataract Canyon for now, should be scheduled for May, 2013. I hope to finish the rough draft by Christmas.

Cataract Canyon will take place in Cataract Canyon on the Colorado River south of Moab, Utah. I envision it as a "locked room" style of mystery, but in this case, the room will be the canyon itself. Mandy and her boyfriend Rob Juarez will lead a 5-day whitewater rafting/climbing trip down the canyon in the fall, when very few outfitters lead trips down the canyon. Thus, they'll be isolated. Of course, one of their clients will be murdered, and the killer will sabotage their satellite phone at the same time, cutting the adventurers off from the outside world. Mandy and Rob will be locked into a race to find out who the killer is and to get all of their clients off the river as soon as possible, alive and safe. But the killer will have other ideas ...

To research the location, my husband and I will take our own 5-day whitewater rafting trip down Cataract Canyon in mid-September. I've been outfitting myself with the proper clothing and gear for such a trip and reading about the canyon geology, topography, flora & fauna, Native American ruins, and more. All of this is fodder for the book, stuffing the research file.

What I also do to lay the groundwork for the rough draft of a manuscript is to define the major characters, give them names, and fill out personality profiles for them. I already have personality profiles for Mandy and Rob, and two of their rafting guides who will come with them, Gonzo Gordon and Kendra Lee. However, everyone else, including the climbing guide they hire and the twelve clients that will ride the Colorado River with them, are new characters. So, I've been spending a lot of time getting to know them.

The third major task I take on in this pre-draft phase of a manuscript is to create a scene-by-scene outline. I usually have about 40 scenes in a book, about two to a chapter, for about 20 chapters in an approximately 75,000 word mystery. And by the time I start writing the rough draft, I've usually defined 34-37 of those 40 scenes. The outline is still flexible, allowing for scenes to be added, deleted, or changed, but most of the story is documented in the outline, which expands in length and detail as I write the rough draft. I currently have defined 27 scenes, so I'm about 3/4ths of the way there.

I usually know when it's time to start writing the rough draft. The groundwork has allowed my characters and the plot to become well-enough defined that the characters start talking to me and each other in my head, keeping me up at night. They clamor for their story to be told, and after reining them in for awhile while I nail down the story structure, I finally have to let go and let the story begin. The characters are already talking to me, so I'm thinking and hoping that I'll start writing the rough draft some time next week.

A Fishy Role Model

2011-08-15T16:38:00.005-06:00

The Groundwater family is all aflutter, celebrating a special winner. My husband's aunt, Lenore Groundwater, is a spry 93-year-old who still travels and loves to fish off her son Lance's fishing boat in Valdez, Alaska in the summers. She just landed a 16.5 pound silver salmon, winning the Valdez Women's Silver Salmon Derby and beating out probably 800 competitors. The photo below shows Lenore and Lance holding the winning fish.

Below is a link to a YouTube video of an interview with Lenore as she sat on the throne sporting the winner's tiara. You'll see why we all love her joie de vivre and her wicked sense of humor. Lenore's one of my role models. I hope I can live as long as she has and retain a great attitude like she has. Congratulations, Lenore!

Lenore Groundwater being crowned Queen of the Valdez Women's Silver Salmon Derby

A Double-Nickel Birthday Gift!

2011-08-11T05:30:00.002-06:00

I'm celebrating my 55th birthday this week at Inkspot today, the blog for Midnight Ink authors. I'm sharing some great news--the best present an author can receive--and sharing my good fortune with a contest. Check it out!

Midnight Ink Author Panel on GZONE

2011-08-08T05:00:00.003-06:00

Today at 7 PM eastern time, 5 PM mountain time, I will be a member of a panel of Midnight Ink authors who will be interviewed on Giovanni Gelati's GZONE blogspot radio show. Along with me, the panel will include Alice Loweecey, Sebastian Stuart, and Lois Winston. You can listen to the broadcast live or go to the website and listen to the archived broadcast later. This should be an interesting and fun program!

Accidents Happen on the Water

2011-08-05T06:00:00.000-06:00

One of my favorite blogs that I follow is written by river ranger Brett Fisher. I learn all sorts of interesting things from him that make their way into my Rocky Mountain Outdoor Adventure series featuring whitewater river ranger Mandy Tanner. The latest post on the River Ranger blog is about the whitewater river accident record for the first half of 2011, and it's not good.

90% of the accidents are tied to this year's high flows. As Brett says, "This year’s high water has taken a serious toll: 53 fatalities in 47 incidents. This exceeds the previous total for the entire year and there’s still plenty of river running to go." With water levels higher than average, the speed goes up, the ratings of most rapids go up, and the danger goes up accordingly.

So, here's a word of warning to my fellow whitewater rafting enthusiasts. Be careful out there and consider going down a step in difficulty in your choices. For instance, on the Arkansas River, instead of running the deadly Numbers or Royal Gorge sections, opt for Brown's Canyon. Or if Brown's Canyon is what you normally run, opt for Big Horn Sheep Canyon instead. You should be prepared to swim through whatever rapids you're rafting through, so consider your swimming ability, too. If you're not a strong swimmer, take it down a notch and be safe.

I'd much rather see imaginary characters in my books die from being murdered than people perish in a whitewater accident. After all, I don't want to lose any potential readers for Deadly Currents and the upcoming second book in the series, Wicked Eddies. :)

Why I Love Breckenridge, Colorado

2011-08-03T05:00:00.007-06:00

My second home is in Breckenridge, Colorado, and my husband and I hope to make it our only, permanent home soon. Sure, we love skiing in Breckenridge in the winter, and I even had one of my mystery novels, To Hell in a Handbasket, take place in Breckenridge in the winter. But summers are absolutely gorgeous in Breckenridge and the surrounding mountains and valleys in Summit County.

I thought I'd share with my blog readers some of the activities we engaged in during our most recent visit. The two photos below are from a long 8-mile, round-trip hike we took to the Kettle Ponds in the Eagle Nest Wildernest area. What a beautiful area! I hope you'll agree.

The small towns in Summit County and nearby Eagle and Park counties seem to take turns sponsoring festivals, so there's always a fun time to be had on the weekend. Last weekend we visited Fairplay, Colorado for the Burro Days festival. We watched the racers prepare and start for the burro race up to the top of Mosquito Pass and back.

Other festival events included a staged gunfight (see three photos below).

We also watched the town parade, which included some of the llamas that had raced the day before, and watched the outhouse races (see photos below). The teams thought up appropriate names for their entries, such as "The Princess and the Potty". Between events, we wandered among the arts and craft booths and I indulged in my favorite guilty pleasure festival food--kettle corn. Yum!

Lastly, the photos below are from a visit we made to the Alpenglow Stube restaurant at the Keystone Ski Resort in Keystone, Colorado. It is the highest AAA Four-Diamond™ dining experience in North America. We enjoyed the breathtaking views while riding two gondolas to the top of the North Peak at 11,444 feet. Then we sampled wine, appetizers and desserts on the outdoor patio (see below).

After stuffing ourselves, we poked our heads into the Der Fondue Chessel restaurant next-door to see what the fondue offerings looked like. We wound up getting caught up in the chicken dance song performed by the German band (see below). What fun!

So, have I enticed you to visit the high-country of Colorado during the summertime yet?

Deadly Currents Is Available in Large-Print

2011-08-01T06:30:00.000-06:00

For those of you who perfer to read large-print books, I want to make sure you know that Deadly Currents, the first book in my Rocky Mountain Outdoor Adventure mystery series starring whitewater river ranger Mandy Tanner, was released in large-print on July 27th. Sure, most of the sales will be to libraries, but that means you library readers now will have the choice of reading Deadly Currents in large print. If you're feeling flush with funds and are in a buying mood, here's the Amazon page and Barnes & Noble page for the large-print version from Thorndike Press, an imprint of the Gale Cengage Learning. Happy reading!

More Good Reviews for Deadly Currents

2011-07-29T06:00:00.005-06:00

Most of the reviews for my Deadly Currents mystery novel came out before or around the time of its release in March. However, some good ones have trickled in lately, and I can't help bragging about them. :)

The first is in the Summer, 2011 issue of the Mysterical-e ezine, an excellent collection of mystery/suspense/thriller short fiction and nonfiction. Go to the website to read the whole review, but I loved the last two lines:

"There’s lots of suspects, plenty of excitement, and even some time for romance. Groundwater knows her business and has made this not only exciting but also realistic."

Also, the Mild to Wild blog, a (Rafting) Guide's Life Blog, had these words of praise for the book:

"The Mild to Wild staff has discovered a great new book release called Deadly Currents. Combining murder mystery and the adventure of whitewater rafting in Colorado, we found this book to be a great read in the comforts of our beds, sitting around the campfire, or in on a cot and under the stars!"

Follow the link to read the rest of the review, and if you've got a hankerings to ride the rapids of the upper Arkansas, this outfitter is one of the best.

Lastly, avid mystery reader and reviewer Kari Wainwright posted the following review on the DorothyL mystery discussion email list:

"Deadly Currents by Beth Groundwater

Running the Arkansas River rapids in the Colorado Rockies is not for the meek. A Class V rapid can toss a raft and its riders head-over-heels into the foaming water and turn them into human debris dodging rocks and other dangers in the whitewater.

Deadly Currents protagonist, Mandy Tanner, has left her river guide job to turn to law enforcement as a river ranger. In her twenties and new to the profession, she has much to learn, both on the job and in her personal relationships. But she is gutsy and hardworking, so the reader feels she can tackle any task she takes on. Except for one. Struggling to rescue two whitewater “swimmers,” she’s only able to save one. The other, Tom King, dies.

At first, King’s death looks like possible negligence on the part of the rafting company, owned by Mandy’s Uncle Bill. She’s grateful to learn that it wasn’t Bill’s fault because King was murdered.

Even though Mandy is warned to stay out of King’s death investigation, the young woman gets involved with the possible suspects, stirring up more turmoil than even a Class V rapid can cause. King, a rich developer, had no love for the river or the natural beauty near Salida, Colorado, which earned him enemies. He also had business rivals. Plus a wife, a mistress and a son, who all had problems with him. There’s a virtual plethora of people who could have wanted him dead. And some of them don’t like Mandy asking questions.

The author creates colorful characters to people this small Rocky Mountain town. My only dislike with characterization was that sometimes Mandy’s reactions to her boyfriend and brother were on the immature side. On the other hand, that makes her more human and leaves her room to grow in future books.

Groundwater has definitely done her research in the world of rafting on the Arkansas near Salida. She brings it to a frothy, churning life, which is one reason I loved the book. My husband and I have rafted the Arkansas through the Royal Gorge twice, having exciting incidents happen each time, once culminating with my husband becoming a “swimmer.” Even though Mandy wasn’t there to pull him out of the water, he survived. Deadly Currents makes me wish I could go again, but with a bum knee, that’s out of the question for me. So when I get the urge to go for another wild ride, I’ll just have to pick up a Mandy Tanner RM Outdoor Adventure Mystery."

Many thanks to Kari, the Mild to Wild rafting guides, and Mysterical-e!

A Fun Fish Tales Quiz

2011-07-27T06:00:00.000-06:00

As many of you know, I have a story in the short story anthology published by the Guppies chapter of Sisters in Crime that is titled Fish Tales The Guppy Anthology. All of the mystery stories selected for the anthology had to involve fish or water or both. It's been fun working with the other story authors on promotion events and ideas.

The latest promotion idea is a quiz that the group put together for Goodreads. Anyone who is a member of Goodreads can play and test their knowledge about the anthology--or just have fun guessing while learning some things about the stories. Here's the LINK to the book on Goodreads. Page down until you see "Quiz Question" and click on the "Take this quiz ..." prompt. Good luck and have fun!

Could the Ebook Revolution Lead to Buyer Confusion?

2011-07-25T06:00:00.001-06:00

Today I want to talk about a reaction I get to a certain type of shopping situation. I'm wondering if others have the same reaction and if this reaction could apply to the ebook marketplace. Let me explain.

When I go to a large street market in another country or a large flea market or farmer's market in the US, I'm confronted with an overwhelming sea of choices. In a crowded and noisy environment, there are multiple vendors selling the same thing. Is vendor A's broccoli really any different from vendor B's? And there's usually a huge variety of things for sale, from broccoli to beef, batik to baskets, bracelets to blouses, bike tires to buckets, you get the idea.

In such markets, especially in a third world countries, it's guaranteed that a lot of the merchandise will be cheaply made and of poor quality. But I'm not an expert buyer in all of those categories of merchandise. I don't know what distinguishes a poorly made basket or blouse from an expertly made one. So, not only do I feel overwhelmed by the choices, I feel like I'm almost guaranteed to make a bad one.

What's my typical reaction? Often I just give up and walk away. The stress of decision-making is too great, and the chance for reward is too small to be worth the stress. I close my purse, avert my eyes from the vendors clamoring for my attention, and escape. Do you ever feel the same way?

Now, let's look at the electronic book marketplace. Again, there's an enormous variety of choices, and again a lot of the books are of poor quality. Making a good choice and feeling like you're not wasting your money can be just as overwhelming. I must admit that I've yet to test the waters, that instead I read only paper books and only those that are recommended to me by readers (or writers) whose judgement I trust.

What about you? Are you closing your purse and walking away, too? Or have you found a way to wade through the morass and find the true bargains, the electronic book purchases that you will savor for years to come?

Spoilerville

2011-07-21T06:15:00.004-06:00

What the heck is Spoilerville, you might ask. To find out, go to Inkspot, where I'm posting today and read all about it. :)

Final Proof of A REAL BASKET CASE

2011-07-18T06:00:00.001-06:00

Last week I finished reviewing the final proof for the paperback/ebook re-release of the first book in my Claire Hanover gift basket designer mystery series, A Real Basket Case. This new release is being published by Midnight Ink and will be out in November.

You'd think that with two editions already published, the hardcover and large-print, that no changes would need to be made. How wrong you'd be! Here's where I marked changes.

First, the author blurbs. It's been almost five years since I originally requested them. The hardcover edition was released in spring, 2007, and I obtained the blurbs in late 2006. Those authors have gone on to publish more books and some have attained or re-attained New York Time bestseller status. So, I changed the blurb attributions to reflect their recent accomplishments.

Second, there's the copyright or "verso" page--you know, the one with all the small print gobbledygook. I had to correct the reference to the press that produced the hardcover version and check that the proper book designer, cover artist, etc. were listed.

Third, the dedication page. Previous editions didn't have one, and Midnight Ink gave me the option to include one. I decided to take them up on their offer and wrote a dedication. To whom, you might ask? It's a secret! ;-)

Fourth, the acknowledgements page. I rewrote most of this, primarily to list and thank those hard-working folks who toiled on this new edition. I also shortened and summarized my thanks to those who helped with the hardcover edition, because, well, they're thanked profusely there.

Fifth, the text itself. My new copy editor at Midnight Ink found a few things that she thought should be changed, and I agreed with the changes. Then I found a few more on my read through the whole book (which, by the way, was a pleasurable exercise, since I hadn't lived through Claire Hanover's first adventure in five years). Lastly, I found a formatting error that had been introduced in the new version. Yes, these were all small changes, but ones that I think will improve the product.

So, my feedback to the editor has been sent, and that was my last chance to make changes. Let the printing begin! And I'm on to my next writing task ...

Refilling the Well

2011-07-13T06:00:00.002-06:00

I am in a temporary lull in activity for my writing career. July 2nd was the last public promotion event for my new release, Deadly Currents, the first book in my new RM Outdoor Adventures mystery series starring whitewater river ranger Mandy Tanner. My critique group has finished reviewing the manuscript for Basketful of Trouble, the third book in my Claire Hanover gift basket designer mystery series, and I'm awaiting expert feedback on some scenes before I turn it into my literary agent for review. And, I'm awaiting a contract offer on the third book in the RM Outdoor Adventures series, Cataract Canyon.

I'm generating ideas for Cataract Canyon and throwing them into an outline file, but it's hard to get motivated to start writing it in earnest without a contract. My muse is dragging her heels, saying she needs a break. She's urging me to read some good books, watch a few good movies, try some new experiences, get outdoors and get some exercise, etc. The creative well was drying up and needed to be refilled. So, I've been doing just that. The posts prior to this one show some of what I've been doing: bottling bourbon at the Breckenridge Distillery and sliding down the longest tubing hill in the world. I've also tried some new hikes and bike rides.

I've been doing a lot of reading, as evidenced by my Goodreads postings, and I've seen some of the new blockbuster summer movie releases with my husband. He and I are busy preparing for our move to full-time living in our Breckenridge home, and I've been having some fun planning future travel adventures for us. Lastly, I've put myself on a diet and a daily exercise regimen to lose the weight I gained while traveling--and eating out--to promote Deadly Currents. So, when I do go back to spending long hours in my writing chair, hopefully I'll be in good physical condition for it!

I've learned not to force myself to write when my body and my muse tell me it's time to focus on other aspects of my life outside my writing life. It's time for the scales to balance in the other direction for a while. As I said, ideas are already clicking for Cataract Canyon, and I'm sure that when the contract offer comes, I'll be ready to plunge into that whitewater adventure. In the meantime, I'm soaking up fun experiences that will replenish my creative juices.

What do you do to refill the well when you feel depleted, mentally, emotionally, and/or physically? Take a vacation? Spend more time sleeping? Make some other kinds of changes in your life? I'd love to see what others do to refill their wells!

Flamingo Fatality Audio Short Story Publication

2011-07-11T06:00:00.005-06:00

I'm pleased to announce that my humorous mystery short story, "Flamingo Fatality," has been published in audio form by Sniplits and is available for purchase for only 99 cents.

"Flamingo Fatality" first appeared in print form in 2005 in the Manhattan Mysteries anthology, that came about as the result of a short story contest held by the Great Manhattan Mystery Conclave held in Manhattan, Kansas. All of the stories selected for the anthology had to be set in Manhattan, as mine was. In the story, Diane is just enjoying a simple lunch hour walk when she discovers a dead pink flamingo and is thrust into the mystery behind it--accompanied by an eccentric old woman and a very handsome cop.

I'm very pleased with the reading done by voice actress Kailey Bell, and I hope folks will purchase and listen to the story for a few good laughs. If you do, please let me know what you think of it after listening to it!

Sniplits has published two other mainstream fiction stories of mine, "Covered Dish Casseroles" and "Biscuit Connection," if you'd like to listen to other short stories written by moi. :)

Bottling Bourbon

2011-07-07T06:00:00.005-06:00

My Tuesday blog was about one day of my memorable Fourth of July weekend in Breckenridge. Here's a report about what I did on Sunday.

First, I'll give you some background. My husband and are fans of the fairly new Breckenridge Distillery, the world's highest distillery. We've attended their grand opening and tasted and bought their products, which currently consist of bourbon and vodka, though they are branching out. I've got August marked on my calendar, when they will debut their spiced rum. They're a small craft distillery, but they are growing much faster than they ever dreamed they would.

So, when the distillery received a huge order from a distributor for 20 pallets (108 cases of six bottles each) of bourbon, they put out a call for help to the members of their email newsletter list. They asked for volunteers to man a bottling line in six-hour shifts in exchange for a meal, all the beer and booze you wanted while working, and a bottle to take home. How could we refuse!?

My husband and I signed up for the late Sunday shift, from 3 - 9 PM. After some initial training, we worked on the bottling line with about ten other volunteers. We took turns doing different jobs to avoid getting bored, and we got to know each other while we worked. The owners came around at various times with offers of beverages; to bring new supplies of corks, tamper-proof seals, and boxing tape; to bundle and move the completed pallets; and to fix any technical problems. They also kept lively tunes going on the stereo (probably designed to keep us moving fast!)

The various steps on the production line included:

- unboxing empty bottles that were shipped from the bottle maker in France in pre-printed, unsealed cases,
- rinsing out the bottles with "product" (bourbon),
- filling the bottles (see first photo below),
- corking the bottles,
- tamping down the corks,
- applying the tamper-proof seal so the distillery logo was in the center of the cork and the two sides of the seal strip were exactly vertical with the neck of the bottle (This was the most labor-intensive part, taking four people, and I did it for the first couple of hours.),
- repacking the bottles into cases,
- taping the cases shut, and
- stacking the cases on the pallet (see second photo below).

After we filled three pallets, we broke for a barbecue dinner of burgers, hot dogs, baked beans, various salads, fruit, brownies, and of course, samples of the distillery's products of vodka and bourbon or beer or water. After a rest while the owners worked to unclog a line, we were back in business. Well-fed and watered and experienced now at the production line, the team worked like a well-oiled machine to quickly finish off two more pallets.

I was the "Chief (only) Bottle Washer" during this time, as you can see in the two photos below. You put four bottles upside down on the wash nozzles, then tap down on the front left one to start the wash cycle of bourbon squirting up from the nozzles into the bottles. You have to put the front ones on last and take them off first if you don't want to be accidentally squirted with bourbon. I'm happy to say that I never messed up the sequence, but one volunteer got two bourbon baths early in the process.

The five pallets we finished were the last five of the twenty that were needed to fill the distributor's order. We celebrated a job well-done with shots of bourbon and collected our bottles to take home.

I've never worked on an assembly-line before, and it's definitely hard work, and you're on your feet the whole time. I had to soak my sore muscles in the hot tub afterward. But, it's hard to imagine an assembly line being any more fun to work on than this one! We'll definitely keep our eyes open for future volunteer opportunities.

And for those who might want to know, yes, the Breckenridge Distillery products make for some mighty fine drinking!

A Slippin' and A Slidin' and A Signin'

2011-07-05T08:20:00.004-06:00

I had a great Fourth of July weekend, and I hope everyone else did, too. In today's blog, I'll share some photos of my Saturday. That afternoon was my signing for Deadly Currents at The Next Page Bookstore in Frisco, Colorado (see photo below).

The signing was a fundraiser for the Gore Range Chapter of Trout Unlimited. We actually had an attentive audience of about ten folks at the beginning who listened to the chapter representative talk about their activities and to me talk about myself and the Rocky Mountain Outdoor Adventure series then do a very short reading. (Since I'm a terrible actress, I don't read well and hate doing readings, so when stores ask me to, I make them very short.) Then the signing began (see photo below). By the end, the store only had two copies left, so I'm sure they were happy with the result. I know I was!

After the signing was over, my husband and I changed into casual clothes and headed over the to Peak 8 Fun Park at the Breckenridge Ski Resort. We had volunteered to pick up trash at the resort on Thursday morning in exchange for a barbecue lunch and a free ticket to ride one of the attractions. Unfortunately, it rained that afternoon, shutting down most activities, so we put off our ride to Saturday. We were anxious to try the "world's longest tubing hill." It's so long that you ride it in two segments, with a stop in the middle (see photo below, showing folks lining up to ride the second segment).

The ride was great fun, slidin' down the hill at high speed, as you can see from the two photos below. It was even fun slippin' around in the spring corn snow in athletic shoes while trying to walk out of the landing zone for each segment. If you want to try the SuperTubing Hill yourself, you'd better go soon, because the snow is melting fast. And here's a hint, either ride it first thing in the morning when it opens up and the sun hasn't softened up the snow much, slowing down the ride, or ride it in the last hour that the park is open (as we did), after the hill goes back into the shade and it starts freezing up again. You want the fastest ride possible, right?!

My Frisco Signing is Highlighted in the Summit Daily News

2011-07-01T08:31:00.003-06:00

Today's Summit Daily News, the newspaper for Summit County, Colorado, featured an article in their Style Section today about my Deadly Currents signing in Frisco, Colorado tomorrow from 3-5 PM at The Next Page Bookstore.

The booksigning is a fundraiser for the Gore Range Chapter of Trout Unlimited, with the store donating 15% of the proceeds during the signing to the chapter. If you're in the area, I hope you'll come out and support this great cause. You could easily spend a fun day in Frisco, since an art festival is also occurring downtown and Founder's Day activities are going on all day in the historical park.

Whenever I can, I try to set up my signings as fundraisers for local river conservation nonprofits. If you're active in a river conservation nonprofit and are interested in talking to me about an event, please contact me at my website.

The Importance of Format

2011-06-29T05:30:00.001-06:00

Book format, that is, like hardcover versus paperback versus ebook. I'm blogging about this topic on Inkspot today, the blog for Midnight Ink authors. Please join me and leave your opinion in a comment!

News Tidbits: A Bestseller List, A New Cover, Plummeting Squirrels

2011-06-24T06:00:00.002-06:00

For the end of the workweek, here's some news tidbits.

First, Deadly Currents made it onto the May Trade Paperback Bestseller List from the Mystery Lovers Bookshop, one of the largest specialty mystery book stores in the country. And it's position was #6. Woot! Many thanks to all of my readers.

Second, Thorndike Press has released the cover art for the large-print version of Deadly Currents that will be released July 27th. You can see it HERE, and here's the Amazon page for it (which as of this writing didn't have the cover art on it yet).

Third, the plummeting squirrels. My husband and I are in our Breckenridge house for awhile, in anticipation of my Saturday, July 2nd, 3-5 PM book signing at The Next Page Bookstore in Frisco, Colorado. It will be a fundraiser for the Gore Range Chapter of Trout Unlimited. If you're in the area, I hope you'll stop by and bring friends.

But, back to the plummeting squirrels.

They've managed to make a nest in the roof eaves above the sliding glass door out to the deck. They don't have a deck or porch, though, just a hole leading directly out into open air. So, every so often during the day, we'll hear a THUD as one of them falls out and drops to the deck. They always manage to shake themselves off, and with much chittering with their family members up above, eventually scamper up the side of the house back to the hole. We've been lucky that none have landed on us as we go in and out, but we'll have to BEWARE THE PLUMMETING SQUIRRELS!

Shelf Awareness

2011-06-23T06:00:00.002-06:00

For those who missed it yesterday, a photo of me in the FIBArk parade appeared in Shelf Awareness yesterday.

And if you're asking, what is Shelf Awareness, here's the scoop. It is a free e-newsletter about books and the book industry. There are two versions:

- Shelf Awareness: Enlightenment for Readers, where they list news of interest to readers and review the best books coming out each week, as selected by their industry insiders. This is a new newsletter that they just started.

- Shelf Awareness: Enlightenment for the Book Trade (librarians, booksellers, publishers, agents, authors, etc.) with news about important events in the book trade, which has been published every business day since 2005. This is the e-newsletter that contained my parade photo yesterday.

I subscribe to both. If you want to subscribe to either or both e-newsletters, go HERE.

The 2011 FIBArk Hooligan Race

2011-06-22T09:00:00.000-06:00

As promised yesterday and Monday, when I talked about other aspects of the FIBArk whitewater festival in Salida, Colorado, and my participation in it, I am posting today about the Hooligan Race. The Hooligan Race is open to anything that floats. Anything. Except a boat, that is.

Hooligans pick a theme for their homemade craft, dress up in costume, and try to put on a good show for the hoards of onlookers lining the banks. The winner is not determined by whose craft is the fastest, or even the most durable (many don't survive the race). It's the team that puts on the best show for the crowd.

Necks start craning each time the announcer shouts, "Hooligans in the water!" to signal that another heat of homemade craft are starting their scramble through the downtown whitewater park. Below are some photos of creative rafts in the race. First is a fire brigade, followed by a jail break on a mattress and a giant caterpillar.

The next two photos show Boris the spider and the giant river rat ("river rat" being a term for anyone who loves paddling whitewater).

The next two photos show how things can go wrong. First, a replica of the space shuttle is breaking up in the standing wave feature of the whitewater park. Second, a raft has crashed into the bridge support, and the paddlers are going to have to abandon ship.

Lastly, here's the hands-down favorite of the crowd, which set a new pyrotechnic "high bar" for race competitors: The Natural Disasters.

And the final FIBArk event that I attended was the VIP Brunch on Sunday for board members and VIPs such as myself. After stuffing ourselves and sipping on beermosas (versus mimosas - made of beer and orange juice) made from product provided by the main sponsor, New Belgium Brewing, my husband and I got in the car to head home to Colorado Springs. Here's a final photo of me with the Parade Director, Donna Rhoads. What a fun weekend!

Part Two of My Experiences at FIBArk

2011-06-21T09:00:00.000-06:00

Yesterday, I blogged about being the Honored Guest or VIP in the FIBArk Parade in Salida, Colorado, last weekend. I'll continue talking about the festival, and my participation in it, today and tomorrow. First and foremost, FIBArk's reason for existence is whitewater races.

Freestyle events award points based on the paddler's ability to do tricks and maneuvers in a river hole or standing wave. Below are photos of two standing board paddlers in a freestyle event.

Slalom racing requires paddlers to negotiate a course of gates, poles hung three feet apart and suspended above the river, through the Whitewater Park in downtown Salida. Below are two photos of kayakers going through slalom gates, followed by a cataraft paddler aiming for a gate. In my mystery, Deadly Currents, my whitewater river ranger paddles a cataraft, so this photo gives you an idea of what one looks like. The fourth photo shows slalom gates across the river and also shows how high the water is, washing over the riverside sidewalk.

Also, FIBArk was the venue for the 2011 U.S. Wildwater National Championships. Below is a photo of two kayakers pushing hard to get a good start in the wildwater race. Notice the slim, sleek shape of the boats, which are built more for speed than maneuverability.

The festival also hosts its signature race that it began with 63 years ago, the downriver, which is a 26-mile long-distance marathon paddle to the finish line. Below is a photo of the start of the raft downriver race.

Over time, many other activities have become part of the festival, including a carnival with games and rides for the children, food stands, musical performances, foot and bike races, and more. Below is a photo of a line of food stands, followed by two of the Amphitheater in Riverside Park, the music venue.

Last but not least are two photos of Lisa Marvel, the owner of The Book Haven bookstore, and me manning our book signing table for Deadly Currents across the street from Riverside Park and in front of the very popular Boathouse Cantina.

Tomorrow, I'll post photos of some of the creative and wild entries in my favorite FIBArk event, the Hooligan Race. You'll also see some interesting crashes. Be sure to check back!

I Love A Parade...

2011-06-20T17:27:00.005-06:00

...especially one that features moi!

Here's the scoop and the photos. This past weekend was the FIBArk (First in Boating on the Arkansas) whitewater rafting festival in Salida, CO. Because I feature Salida and the festival in the first book of my new Rocky Mountain Outdoor Adventures mystery series, Deadly Currents, I was invited to be their Honored Guest or VIP in the FIBArk Parade.

The weekend began with a noon interview on Friday on the local radio station, KSBV, "The River Rat." They also had me record a promo spot for the station while I was there. Something along the lines of "Hello, this is Beth Groundwater, author of Deadly Currents and the FIBArk Parade VIP. I tune into KSBV, the River Rat, every time I visit Salida." Here I am with on-air radio personality Marc Scott during the interview.

The parade took place at 10 AM on Saturday morning. The next three photos show a float and the local roller derby team lining up to participate, and the color guard that started the whole shebang off.

The next two photos show me perched on the back seat of a PT Cruiser convertible and waving to the folks lining the streets. It was an absolutely amazing experience, especially when we pulled into the heart of downtown, where the crowd was 4-8 people deep and the parade announcer introduced me.

The next four photos are of antique cars and floats in the parade. Some of the floats, such as Boris the Spider, were rafts constructed for the upcoming Hooligan Race.

And the last four photos are of Shriners who came from all over the state of Colorado to participate and put on a show during the parade. In the background you can see The Book Haven Bookstore that hosted my signing table at FIBArk.

My next two posts will feature photos of FIBArk events, my booksigning table there, and the always outrageous Hooligan Race. Tune in tomorrow and the next day for a look see, then let me know what you think. And make plans to attend next year's FIBArk!

A Busy Long Weekend!

2011-06-16T07:00:00.001-06:00

This weekend is my last big promotion push for Deadly Currents, the first book in my new Rocky Mountain Outdoor Adventures mystery series, before I knuckle down and start outlining book three in the series.

The whirlwind of events started yesterday with a blogtalk radio interview at Gelati's Scoop GZONE with Giovanni Gelati. You can listen to the interview HERE.

Today, from 5:00 - 8:00 PM I will be signing copies and chatting with customers at Covered Treasures Bookstore in Monument, Colorado during the town's June Art Walk event.

Then Friday kicks off my red carpet weekend at Salida, Colorado, for their FIBArk (First in Boating on the Arkansas) whitewater rafting festival. The weekend will begin with a noon interview on on the local radio station, KSBV, "The River Rat." There's even been talk of me doing a few promo spots for FIBArk while I'm there. :) Previously, I was also interviewed by a local writer for the Salida Citizen, the community's on-line newspaper. You can read the interview HERE.

Then from 1:00 - 5:00 PM Friday afternoon (and Saturday afternoon), I will be signing copies of Deadly Currents at The Book Haven table on the back deck of the Boathouse Cantina, right on the river front. After that, I plan to watch the Freestyle competitions taking place in the Salida Riverfront Park and get some dinner with Lisa Marvel, the owner of The Book Haven. She has graciously offered to house my husband and me during the festival.

Saturday morning, from 10:00 AM until Noon, I will be the VIP in the FIBArk Parade, riding in a convertible and waving to the onlookers. What fun that will be! I picked up a couple of magnetic signs of the cover art for Deadly Currents today that I'll put on the sides of the convertible I'll be riding in during the parade.

After a quick lunch, it's back to the signing table. Then comes the highlight (for me) of every FIBArk I've attended in the past, the Hooligan Race. Teams build rafts out of anything that floats, dress up in costumes to match the themes of their homemade rafts, and compete to see who puts on the best show for the crowds lining the banks of the Arkansas River downtown. The beer flows, water guns shoot in all directions, and crowds hoot and holler as rafts disintegrate in or miraculously survive the rapids. Go HERE to see the highlights of last year's Hooligan Race.

I'm sure the imbibing will continue over dinner and well into the night, but my husband and I will have to rally by 9:00 Sunday morning to attend the VIP Brunch on the SteamPlant plaza and observe the Downriver Races. Sated after an exciting weekend, we'll head home to Colorado Springs for a well-deserved rest.

But wait, there's still a meeting with a book club on Monday!

An Interview in the Salida Citizen

2011-06-14T07:00:00.000-06:00

As many of my blog readers hopefully know, I have been asked to be the VIP in the Parade for the FIBArk (First in Boating on the Arkansas) whitewater festival in Salida, Colorado this coming Saturday morning. It's a match made in heaven, because Salida and FIBArk are both featured prominently in my March mystery release, Deadly Currents, the first book in my Rocky Mountain Outdoor Adventures mystery series featuring whitewater river ranger Mandy Tanner.

To publicize my involvement in FIBArk, I will be interviewed on the local radio station, KSBV, "The River Rat," on Friday. Also, I was interviewed by a local writer for the Salida Citizen, the community's on-line newspaper. You can read the interview HERE.

I'll be checking for and responding to comments on the interview over the next few days, so please let me know what you think of the interview--and feel free to ask a question of your own!

We Have a Weiner!

2011-06-13T07:00:00.018-06:00

No, no, no! Make that "We Have a Winner!" A winner in my email newsletter contest, that is. :)

The winner's name is Danielle Estes, and she hails from Mobile, Alabama. She is the 26th winner in the contest and is receiving an autographed copy of Deadly Currents and two other mystery books written by author friends. For a full list of previous winners, check out the Contests page of my website.

If you aren't already a subscriber to my email newsletter, please sign up at on the Newsletter page of my website. For every 100 new subscribers, I draw a name from the list of all of my subscribers to win an autographed copy of one of my books and 1-2 other mystery books. You can't beat those odds! Good luck!

So...What Are You Reading These Days?

2011-06-09T07:00:00.002-06:00

Today is my day to post at Inkspot, the blog for Midnight Ink authors. I'm talking about what books I've been reading lately and asking for suggestions. Please go there and let me know in the comments what you've been reading these days. Got any great suggestions for me or our blog readers?