Today's Mystery Author Guest: Randy Rawls

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

The photo above is the cover for his November 8th release, Hot Rocks,  the first book in his Beth Bowman, P.I. mystery series. In the book, private eye Beth Bowman's latest philandering husband case has ended with a nasty bump on the head and a smoking gun—her own. The good news is that neurologist Dr. David Rassmussen is keeping the cops off her tail . . . and charming her off her feet. The bad news? Someone is trying to turn Bowman into a permanent hood ornament.

Setting out to find the "client" who set her up, Bowman gets friendly with the hunky Dr. Rassmussen—and gets unfriendly with a few ne'er-do-well thugs for hire. As her investigation takes her closer to an enticing stash of high-priced ice, it's up to Bowman and an army of guardian street people to save her reputation and her life.

Sounds like a fun read to me! Below are Terry's answers to my interview questions. Please leave a comment for him, 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?

Inspired to write? Nothing or no one that I can finger. But, I suppose it was my "little man" complex that said, "I can do that." I've been (and still am) an avid reader all my life. During my military career, I started many stories, never finishing one. Then one day after retiring, I started one and saw it through to The End. It was a great feeling. Been writing ever since. 

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

Wonderful question. I wish I had an answer to match.

I start with a vague idea of the character, and he/she tells me about him/her as the story unfolds. Kind of like meeting a new person, then spending a lot of time with them. You get to know them a bit more with each meeting. For example, I knew Beth Bowman was a tough female PI in South Florida. As we worked together, she told me she was from Texas and her mother was still there. She's an ex-cop in Dallas, a career she sought after seeing her father killed by a burglar. These and many others are intimate details she shared with me as the story grew.

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

Ouch. Beth, you ask great questions, ones that bring out my idiosyncrasies as a writer.

I'm a wannabe outliner. I'd love to sit down and knock out a narrative outline, then fill in the blanks. Only one problem, I can't do it. Even back in my school days, I had to write the paper, then the outline. A couple of teachers caught me, and let me know their opinions of my weakness.

So, I'm a "seat of the pants" type. And, since I write for my own entertainment, I like the idea of not knowing what's on the next page until I turn that page. It's inevitable that one day I'll write myself into a corner I can't escape, but it hasn't happened yet.

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?

Character vs plot. You're doing it again—making me think.

Character. I say this because the stories I enjoy reading must have a strong character that I like. He/she can get into all kinds of messes, but if I enjoy and trust him/her, I follow along. A plot that outweighs the character(s) just doesn't cut it for me. I find myself thinking, he/she can't handle that—too weak, dumb, whatever.

I suppose this is one of the reasons I'm not enamored with protags who are alcoholics/druggies/on the take/crooked lawyers, etc. I'm not looking for a Superman or a Wonder Woman, but he/she has to be a person I'd sit down and have a beer with.

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

The biggest challenges have been finding an agent to represent my work and getting published. I'm still looking for that agent, but having Midnight Ink pick up Hot Rocks has solved the publishing part—temporarily. Now I have to sell enough copies to convince Midnight Ink to keep me on.

Before Hot Rocks, I had seven books small-published. Those were gratifying and I honor the people who published them. But, the bigger publisher was always a primary challenge. Like I said, I write for my own enjoyment. It's a hobby first. That's my motivation, pursuing a hobby I enjoy.

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

Sorry, I have no typical workday. It's whatever the wind blows in. I'm at the computer every day, but not always writing. I am active in our community, and that eats up several days a month. I work with our local chapter of MWA (Mystery Writers of America), and that takes time. I edit other people's manuscripts—more days taken up. I'm in two critique groups . . . My writing fits in around all those things and life itself. I suppose I savor my "writing time" as something special, just for me when it comes along.

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

This is a question I've had asked often, giving me lots of opportunities to consider it. The first and most important advice I give is: Read, READ, READ, READ in the genre you want to write. Learn from the experts. Remember the old adage, them that can, do—them that can't, teach. Way back, when I decided I wanted to write a first person PI mystery, I spent a year reading nothing but. When I started my first Ace Edwards, Dallas PI, story, I felt I had a solid foundation on what to do and how to do it. I still read daily, absorbing from those who have conquered the mountains I still face.

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.

Wow. Not easy. I'm a pretty transparent guy.

I've shared this with a few people over the years based on specific questions. Maybe it's worth repeating here. Since I am a retired Army officer, I've been asked why I never write military stories. The reason is pretty simple. Pick up any military story and you'll find there is a military villain who abuses his rank and his people, etc. Remember "The A Team" on TV, the nasty Colonel who chased them all over the world. I refuse to degrade the military I love by writing such a character. Thus, I will never write a military story.

And if that's not a good enough example, here's another. I need noise in the room when I'm working—TV, radio, or music playing. Can't work in the quiet. But I HATE commercials. They get muted.

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

This catches me between books. Two or three weeks ago, I finished the second in my Tom Jeffries, South Florida PI series, a story I call The Alley. I'm shopping it to various agents, hoping lightning will strike. Jeffries is my avenger character who takes justice into his own hands.

I'm looking at another Beth Bowman, heroine of Hot Rocks, story, either a short story to be offered to Midnight Ink as a "midnight snack", or book three in the series. An idea for each is floating around in my head. I'm waiting for one to gain control and point me in the right direction.

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

While I'm not good at keeping my website or Facebook page up to date, I hope you'll visit. And, if you happen to read one of my books, please give me your opinion at RandyRawls@att.net. Don't worry about hurting my feelings if you think it stinks. I can only learn from my mistakes.

I love to talk writing and books. If anyone would like to hear more of my meanderings, I'm half-way out the door. Give me a yell at RandyRawls@att.net. It can be in person or via the Internet.

I blog twice a month on Make Mine Mystery, first and third Thursdays. Drop in and see what gets transferred from my brain to my fingertips. Often, it surprises me.

And last, but far from least, thank you, Beth, for allowing me to visit. It's been fun.

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

Tomorrow's Guest: Randy Rawls

Tomorrow, fellow Midnight Ink mystery author Randy Rawls will be a guest on my blog. Randy Rawls is a retired US Army officer and Department of Defense civilian. During those years, he honed his craft as a writer in various leadership and administrative positions. After retiring, he turned his hand to writing fiction.

Randy is the multi-published author of the Ace Edwards, Dallas PI series, as well as short stories in various venues. Living in South Florida, where the line between fiction and non-fiction blurs, gives him a rich environment in which to harvest plots. One of his favorite sayings is, "There is no fiction in South Florida. It either happened yesterday, is happening today, or will happen tomorrow."

Thorns on Roses tests the proof his saying. A thriller, it features Tom Jeffries, a South Florida PI who launches a vendetta against the gang that raped and murdered the 17-year-old daughter of his best friend. Hot Rocks, Randy's latest, is a South Florida mystery featuring Beth Bowman, a PI. Beth takes on a simple case, but soon discovers that things are not as they seem. A husband is not a husband. A wife is not a wife. A homeless man is not . . . Yet, one thing is real. Someone wants Beth dead.

Randy’s email address is RandyRawls@att.net. He welcomes comments from his readers. In his guest post tomorrow, Randy 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.

Blind Adventurer Attempts to Kayak the Colorado River

I'm going to send my blog readers to an inspiring post on one of the whitewater sports blogs that I follow. It is an article on the ACA Water Blog about blind adventurer Erik Weihenmayer attempting to kayak the Colorado River. The article also includes a link to information about ACA's (American Canoe Association) Adaptive Paddling Program to train people of all ability levels in paddling sports. Whenever I read about a disabled person tackling such challenges, my own challenges pale in comparison and I think, "If they can do THAT, I can do whatever I need to do, too!"

A 5 Star Review for TO HELL IN A HANDBASKET!

This 5 star review for To Hell in a Handbasket floored me, and definitely gave me something to be thankful for the day after Thanksgiving:

Escape With Dollycas Into a Good Book's review of To Hell in a Handbasket.

Escape With Dollycas Into a Good Book is a very popular book review blog, and I am as pleased as punch that Dollycas loved To Hell in a Handbasket so much that she posted such a wonderful review on her site!

Happy Thanksgiving!

Happy Thanksgiving, everyone! I will host the annual meal of gratitude with some relatives tomorrow, and I'm feeling very thankful for my blessings. I hope you have much to be thankful for, too. Now, don't be gobbling up too much of that turkey!

Cover Art for FATAL DESCENT!

I'm thrilled to present the cover art for Fatal Descent, the third book in my RM Outdoor Adventures series starring whitewater river ranger and guide Mandy Tanner. The book will be released in June, 2013, and features both climbing and whitewater rafting scenes. It takes place on the Colorado River in Utah in the Canyonlands area, with its red sandstone cliffs. I am so happy the Midnight Ink Art Department was able to fit both rapids and a climber on the cover. Please leave a comment here to let me know what you think of it!

Book Club Ideas?

Next Tuesday I am hosting the annual book selection meeting of my book club, where we select the books that we will read and discuss during the next year. My book club is general, and we read a variety of novels and even some nonfiction. Each member will submit three books for consideration to the group, then we'll vote on which ones we'll read throughout 2013. So, what book have you read recently that you think would make for a great book club discussion? Please let me know in the comments. I'm looking for ideas!

Opening Day at Breckenridge Ski Resort

Last Friday, November 9th, was the opening day for the Breckenridge Ski Resort, and my husband and I were there to join in the festivities. We arrived early to make sure we got our free cinnamon rolls, then rode up the Colorado Chair to take our first of five runs on the Springmeier trail. At the top of the chair, I had my photo taken with Ullr, the Norse god of snow and winter, who was out having a fun time hanging out with the early skiing enthusiasts.

Then we headed for the T-Bar at the base of Peak 8, for a split of Veuve Clicquot champagne, which was on sale for a deeply discounted price to celebrate the opening. My husband and I had our photo take with the Veuve Clicquot promotion girls, whose jackets are the same color as the labels for their champagne bottles. (Notice Ullr in the background!) It was a fun half day all around and a great way to open the season!

Today's Mystery Author Guest: Terry Ambrose

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

The photo above is the cover for his September 23rd release, Photo Finish, the first book in his Trouble in Paradise mystery series. Wilson McKenna’s newest tenant is hot, gives great hugs, and just saw a dead body being thrown from a plane. McKenna’s not one to get involved in other people’s problems, especially those of a woman half his age, but before he knows it, he’s volunteered to track down the plane and its owner. In no time, McKenna has uncovered an island drug ring, pissed off a sociopath, and set himself up as the victim in a beautiful woman’s con that could cost him his life.
Trouble? Oh, yeah. McKenna’s found it. If only trouble didn’t have such great legs.

Below are Terry's answers to my interview questions. Please leave a comment for him, 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 loved writing as a kid, but then lost sight of it for many years. At work, I was always the guy who wrote the marketing and training materials, but it wasn't until I was under a lot of stress in my early 40s that I started writing fiction. After working on a truly terrible novel for a few months, I realized how much I'd missed that creative process. At that point, I decided to get serious about writing fiction.

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

Typically, most of my characters begin with a problem. For instance, the protagonist in Photo Finish came into being while we were on Kauai. The locals say that people come to the islands to escape from their past. So, I started thinking about a guy who'd done that, but was mentally trapped by his past mistakes. What would it take for him to escape? How would he find his way back to happiness? From there, it was a matter of falling back to what I'd learned about how people are wired and how they respond to stress.

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

When I was a younger, I was in love with the “Foundation” series by Isaac Asimov. The premise of the series is that the future can be predicted based on the past, but only on a mass scale. In fact, that's the way I see a novel. I can predict where the overall work will go in an outline, but the detailed plan I begin with is going to be prone to errors and deviations and be flat out wrong, at times. In the manuscript I'm currently working on, I introduced a new character, a twelve-year-old girl, as a throwaway. The next thing I knew, my co-protagonist had a whole new set of problems in her life and the girl was in for the long haul.

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?

For me, character is most important. If I don't care about the characters, I won't become as involved in the story. I also learned long ago that systems are totally predictable and will always do what you tell them to do.  People, however, are unpredictable and, to me, most important because they can take a plot in any direction.

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

My biggest challenge, as it is for anyone who is busy, is time. Between running my own business, writing three columns for Examiner.com, and having a novel in progress, I'm constantly swamped. But, when I see writers like Hank Phillippi Ryan, who balances a career as an award-winning journalist and novelist, I'm reminded that this whole juggling act can be done. I'm also recharged when a new idea or scene develops particularly well. That's when I know I'm doing the right thing and want to keep going.

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

My typical workday starts around 5:30 a.m. And it's not unusual for me to still be going until about 6 p.m. However, I'll get breaks in between and may take a few hours off to swim or run errands We also run our own business, so many of those hours I'd love to spend writing get spent elsewhere...clients, projects, etc. Lately, however, I've started turning off the outside world for the first few hours of the day so I can focus on writing and I'm getting so much more done. The funny thing is, until I answered this question, I thought my writing time was far less time than it is. On average, I'd say I log about 25 hours of actual writing per week.

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

It seems that we've lost sight of a critical factor in publishing and that factor is the quality of our work. To me, writing is all about the entertainment. If I'm bombarded by errors in a novel, I forget about being entertained. Some readers don't care if there are errors in a novel. And, based on some of the work I've seen, some writers don't care. Personally, I want to be remembered as a good writer, not someone who churned out a bunch of mediocre stuff. My advice is that aspiring writers should always ask themselves, how do I want to be remembered? The answer to that question might affect how many edits they do, how many early readers they use, and whether they turn out a polished gem or just another rock for the pile.

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'll go with the TV show. My favorite is, without a doubt, Castle. In my opinion, the writers on that show are top notch and casting Nathan Fillion as Castle was one of those magical decision points that ranks up there with choosing Tom Selleck to play Magnum.

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

I'm currently finishing up a sequel to my suspense novel, License to Lie, which will be published by Oak Tree Press in December 2012. The sequel is the second in the “He Said, She Said” series and makes both protagonists realize that sometimes, we'll do anything to escape the pressure around us.

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

I regularly post information on my website about current scams and cons and how to avoid becoming a victim. I try to keep my Facebook author page fun as well as informative and hope readers will stop by. I also do giveaways, so don't be a stranger on Facebook. I'm leading a discussion on the ClubNook forum in November about Photo Finish and would love to do the same for other book clubs and forum groups. I can be contacted through my website or messaged through Facebook or Twitter.

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

Tomorrow's Guest: Terry Ambrose

Tomorrow, mystery author Terry Ambrose will be a guest on my blog. Terry started out skip tracing and collecting money from deadbeats and quickly learned that liars come from all walks of life. He never actually stole a car, but sometimes hired big guys with tow trucks and a penchant for working in the dark when “negotiations” failed. A resident of Southern California, Terry loves spending time in Hawaii, especially on the Garden Island of Kauai, where he invents lies for others to read. His years of chasing deadbeats taught him many valuable life lessons including—always keep your car in the garage.

In his guest post tomorrow, Terry 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.

Visits to Inkspot and Dru's Book Musings

Today I am appearing elsewhere on the web in two places at once. I hope you'll visit both and leave a comment for me at them!

At Inkspot, the blog for Midnight Ink authors, I have posted an article about Internal and External Conflict, using examples from my Claire Hanover gift basket designer novels, A Real Basket Case and To Hell in a Handbasket. Do you have any favorite examples of external or internal conflicts in books you’ve read? Please share them with me there!

At Dru's Book Musings, my gift basket designer sleuth, Claire Hanover, visits to talk about a day in her life. This day is an especially bad one, from the beginning of To Hell in a Handbasket. I'm holding a contest at Dru's blog, in conjunction with Claire's visit, for a free autographed copy of the trade paperback version of To Hell in a Handbasket. Just leave a comment for Claire or me there to enter the contest!

Release News for TO HELL IN A HANDBASKET

Yesterday was the official release date for the trade paperback and ebook editions of To Hell in a Handbasket, the second book in my Claire Hanover gift basket designer series. The active link takes you to my website, where you can read the book's blurb, reviews, and excerpts and get a list of discussion questions you can use if your book club decides to read and discuss the book.

In honor of the release, the New York Journal of Books posted a positive review yesterday that includes the statement, "This book will keep the reader turning pages until the very satisfying end." Follow the link to read the whole review. I'm very excited about it!

Also in honor of the release, an interview with me appeared yesterday on the Shimmerfall blog. Go read it and enter the contest! My interview there is one of many mystery author interviews that are being done to celebrate the Mystery Most Cozy group’s 10th anniversary.

Lastly, I am a guest today at Cozy Mystery Book Reviews with an article about "Mothers and the Daughters Who Leave Them," an important subplot in To Hell in a Handbasket. The review site is also posted their review of the book today. I hope you'll stop by and read both my article and the review!

To Hell in a Handbasket is widely available in bookstores (If it's not on the shelf, order it!), libraries, and from on-line retailers, including: Indie Bound, Amazon, Barnes and Noble, and direct from the publisher, Midnight Ink. Do you have any mystery readers on your holiday gift list? This book, and the first in the series, A Real Basket Case, might be perfect for them. If you'd like signed bookplates or bookmarks to go with your gifts, contact me at my website, and I'll arrange to send them to you.

Today's Mystery Author Guest: Robert Kresge

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

The photo above is the cover for his upcoming release, Death's Icy Hand, the third novel in his Warbonnet historical western mystery series, which will be published by ABQ Press in November or December. It features the further sleuthing adventures of small town schoolmarm Kate Shaw and lawman Monday Malone in the year 1872. Mysterious deaths follow Russian Grand Duke Alexis on his goodwill visit to America, via train from New York harbor to Chicago, and on to the rolling plains of Wyoming. Monday Malone and special deputy Kate Shaw board the royal train and attempt to identify a murder victim in Laramie. Which passengers will help them, hinder them, perhaps even harm them? When a killer strikes again, in a locked compartment aboard the grand duke’s snowbound train, hunting guides provided by the Army—Buffalo Bill Cody and George Armstrong Custer—offer their help.  But are they allies or suspects?

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

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

I was inspired by authors whose books I listened to on CDs when I was still commuting.  My buddies for a half-hour in each direction Monday through Friday became Brother Cadfael (Ellis Peters), Amelia Peabody (Elizabeth Peters), Captain Jack Aubrey (Patrick O’Brian), and rifleman Richard Sharpe (Bernard Cornwell).  Of course I also loved the modern mysteries of authors like Tony Hillerman, Margaret Coel, and Michael McGarrity, never dreaming that they would one day meet and help an aspiring author.

I began writing in the spring of 2000 when I took a course at Northern Virginia Community College called “The American West in Fiction and Film,” taught by Judy Riggin.  One of five optional requirements was to write a chapter from a hypothetical novel, so I began writing Murder for Greenhorns and turned in Chapter 3, the murder.  In the fall, Ms. Riggin taught “The Worlds of Mystery.”  Again the course completion requirements (50% of the grade) included another chapter.  By that time, I had finished the first draft and so I turned in the solution chapter.  I aced both courses, began revising, and in June 2002 began to query agents and publishers.

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

I developed my two polar opposite main characters, Eastern-educated newly-minted schoolteacher Kate Shaw and former Texas cowboy Monday Malone to let them both be “fish out of water,” at least in their first adventure.  I went on to fill out detailed character sheets on them, from their birthdays, families, and physical characteristics to their favorite colors and food preferences.  For minor characters, I do somewhat less, but fill out 3x5 cards on each of them.  I do extensive research on real historical characters I use, like Buffalo Bill, George Custer, the painter Thomas Moran, and Crazy Horse.

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

The standard recommendation I’ve heard for mystery writers is to start either with main characters that you find interesting or unique and then give them something to do or to conceptualize a crime and then populate your story, starting with main characters(s).  I think historical mystery authors get to start at a third point—what  true historical event will take center stage or form a backdrop for my mystery.  Like John Grisham and C.J. Box, I outline.  I think with the mystery, even though it ought to be character-driven, readers demand a crime, the process of solution, and then a logical fair-play denouement.  In order to lay in clues, red herrings, and suspects, I follow Margaret Coel’s advice and outline scene by scene before I begin to write.

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

Well, in mysteries (please note that I don’t refer to them as “murder mysteries” since, like the term “crime fiction” implies, mysteries can be about more than murder), a crime and its solution always play a big part in plotting that readers expect, but I emulate Margaret Coel in emphasizing characters over plot in advancing the continuing relationship between my two main characters.  In my first published short story, given the confines of 2,800 words, I emphasized plot over character, but still received compliments on my female protagonist.

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

Easily the biggest challenge was overcoming rejection during the long road to publication.  Now it’s hoping I can continue to meet readers’ expectations about Monday and Kate.  Advancing that relationship in fits and starts, with romantic rivals, misunderstandings, and dangers they face keeps me going now.  That will continue to motivate me for the next five books in the series that I’m planning.

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

Since I had a few manuscripts nearly ready to go when my first Warbonnet mystery was published, writing for me has been revision and polishing the last few years.  In June I finished a few weeks crashing on the final revision of my third mystery, Death’s Icy Hand, then proofreading the PDF that was prepared for the publisher.  Those were 40-hour weeks.  I’m now working on expanding my fourth novel, the draft of which only came to 61,000 words.  I normally work at writing 10-20 hours a week, spending the rest having fun with my wife Julie—kayaking, biking, hiking, camping, and in season, snowshoeing.  Next year, when I begin drafting Book 5, I’ll probably go to 30-40 hours a week.  One thing I’ve never had trouble with is writer’s block.  As an outliner, I seldom get stuck.

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

The same three pieces of advice I gave to the members of the writers group I established at CIA in 2000, a group which had 180 members upon my retirement in 2002 and is still active:

a.  Start writing early.  If you find you’re good at it, you’ll be glad you didn’t wait until your 50s like I did.  If it proves difficult, you’ll have plenty of time to take courses, attend conferences, and join a critique group.  I can’t emphasize the value of critique groups enough, as long as you are a small group (4-6 is ideal), meet regularly (every two weeks is ideal), and follow the pattern of exchanging written comments on chapters at each meeting (do not fall into the common trap of soliciting comments by reading out loud; accept the cost of making copies).

b. Develop good writing habits consistent with your career and family situation.  Near the end of my CIA career, I wrote at home, downstairs away from a TV about two hours a night four nights a week.  My family and yours want to see you on weekends.

c. Introduce yourself to people as a writer.  As soon as you start, you are a writer.  You never know who you may be introduced to or sit next to—an author, an agent, an editor, the relative of a screenwriter or producer, the spouse or aunt of a famous performer.  So polish and memorize your 30-second, three-sentence précis.  You'll also use that précis in your query letters.

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.

Well, living in New Mexico makes food (green chile on everything, please) an easy choice.  But I’ll take another tack.  Besides blending history and mystery, I write about the on again-off again romance between my two protagonists.  One of my two favorite Westerns, The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance, one of my two favorite historicals, Shakespeare in Love, and one of my favorite comedies, A Shot in the Dark, all have strong romantic underpinnings.  I guess “romantic underpinnings” sounds like Victorian underwear, one of my continuing favorite research subjects.

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

I will shortly begin to revise and expand my fourth Warbonnet mystery, set in 1873 and featuring Crazy Horse.  Then I’ll begin to research and write number five, set in 1874.  I have copies of my manuscript for Fire From the Ashes, a Civil War spy thriller that resembles Cold Mountain meets Day of the Jackal, out with two publishers.  It is based on true incidents, uses real historical characters, and, yes, has strong female and male protagonists.

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

Readers can visit my website to read the prologue and first three chapters of each of my three Warbonnet mysteries.  I’m proud of the work my son Matt does on my covers (he’s a lead video games artist for Warner Bros.) and my website (created and maintained by a man who was Matt’s mentor in the 1990s when he was a volunteer at the Animation Lab in the DC Children’s Museum). 
I’ve spoken to everything from school students to MENSA chapters, book clubs, writers groups, historical associations, and the media about my novels and my CIA career.  Anyone interested in hearing from me can contact me at rkresge777@comcast.net or through my website. 

Thanks, Robert! I know that I, for one, want to hear more about your interest in researching Victorian underwear. Now, who else has a comment or question for him?

Tomorrow's Guest: Robert Kresge

Tomorrow, historical western mystery author Robert Kresge will be a guest on my blog. Rob is a former senior intelligence analyst and founding member of the CIA’s Counterterrorist Center. Since 2002, he and his wife Julie have lived in Albuquerque, NM. He holds a Bachelor of Journalism degree from the University of Missouri and a Masters in International Affairs from George Washington University.  He founded a writers group at CIA that had, upon his retirement 180 members and is still active today.  Rob was a founding member and past president of “Croak & Dagger,” the Albuquerque chapter of Sisters in Crime. He is also a member of the Rocky Mountain Chapter of Mystery Writers of America, the Historical Novels Society, and Western Writers of America.

Rob’s first mystery was a finalist for the 2011 Bruce Alexander Award and a New Mexico Book Award. His second novel is now a finalist for best mystery in this year’s New Mexico-Arizona Book Awards. His first short story, “Ground Truth,” a first person mystery set on the present-day Jicarilla Apache Reservation in New Mexico and featuring police sergeant Jo Ann Barefoot, was published by La Frontera Press in the anthology Outlaws and Lawmen in October.

In his guest post tomorrow, Robert 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.

Please Vote!

I hope everyone who reads this and is a United States citizen will vote in the election today. Your vote is important, and it is your duty. It is a privilege to vote in our democratically governed country, and I hope you take it seriously.

My husband and I have already filled out our mail-in ballots and sent them in. We did that so we could volunteer to work as election judges all day (6 AM - 8 PM!!) today at our local polling place. I'm looking forward to getting the chance to slap "I Voted!" stickers on many, many chests!

Also today, the third installment in my description of my three days of jury service for a trial appears on Leslie Budewitz's blog, Law and Fiction. Serving on a jury when called is another important civic duty, but in my case, it was also great research for my mystery fiction writing!

Wicked Eddies Picked for Best Of 2012 List

Colorado Country Life magazine has honored me again by selecting one of my books, Wicked Eddies this time, for their annual Best Books list. Read about their selection in the list of best murder mysteries. Calling Wicked Eddies "yet another captivating Colorado mystery by author Beth Groundwater," the reviewer says the book "provides a compelling read for murder mystery lovers." I'm so pleased and proud!

Kicking Off the Ski Season With a Bang!

A couple of days before Halloween, I received an email saying that I had won a contest I had entered for two VIP passes to ski with US Ski Team members on their downhill training course at the US Speed Center at Copper Mountain. The US Speed Center is a very early season training center for the US Ski Team that includes downhill, giant slalom, and slalom courses. 100 of the 500+ Copper Mountain pass holders who entered the contest won the passes. In the photo below, I'm holding mine on the Super Bee lift at Copper.

My husband and I arrived around 9:15 AM to register, eat a donut (Neil, not me), chat with others there, and suit up for skiing. Cramming those feet into ski boots for the first time of the season is always a treat! At 10 AM, after some speeches by Copper Mountain and US Ski Team honchos, the alpine skiers from the US Ski Team who would be spending the day with us were introduced. Then we were let loose on the mountain. In the photo below from the Summit Daily News the next morning, I'm in the red unisuit with black shoulders on the far right--very small.

For our first run down the course, groups of 10-20 "Speed Center VIPs" were paired up with one or two ski team members to explore the course as a group. At various points along the way, we stopped where ski team coaches waited to give us a briefing on the next section of the course. We were told how downhill racers were coached to tackle the course, but this gal did NOT make any jumps or tuck and ski flat out. It was still fun to pretend, though. :)

After the first run, we were free to continue to ski the course from the top of the mountain to the bottom off the Super Bee chair on our own, and I made a total of 5 runs. Along the way, I was able to get some photos of me with ski team coaches (first photo below) and women racers (second photo below). Then we gathered in JJ's Tavern in Copper Station for a yummy free lunch.

What a great early introduction to the ski season, which officially starts today at Copper Mountain. Thanks, Copper!!

Interview in Female First Magazine and more

Today, Female First, Celebrity Gossip and Lifestyle Magazine, which is published in the United Kingdom, will publish an interview with me as part of their on-line magazine. I hope you'll read the interview HERE and let me know what you think!

Tomorrow, Terry Ambrose interviews me on examiner.com. I hope you'll read that interview, too, then tell me here which interview you liked the best. ;-)