Category: Uncategorized

I’d like to welcome Jeannie Campbell, the character therapist, to Mystery Writing is Murder today. Jeannie’s take on character motivation and the psychology of characters on her blog, The Character Therapist, is a great way to develop your characters and give them some depth.

And, I’m over at Mason Canyon’s blog, Thoughts in Progress, today, with a post titled: A Mystery Writer’s View of the World (and 6 Tips for Friends of Mystery Writers). Hope you’ll join me!

Good mystery writers know all about red herrings. Red herrings are clues that are designed to mislead readers and make them suspect the wrong characters for whodunit. Of course, the placement of red herrings is deliberate because you want to keep the reader surprised as the story unfolds who the true culprit is.

In the world of counseling and psychology, families do this all the time. It’s called scapegoating. A common example is when a child gets pinned as the guilty party when in actuality, the dysfunction in the family stems from the mother or father’s relationship.

Families do this to draw attention away from the actual problem and on to someone else. “My absentee parenting and alcohol abuse is not the problem. Little Junior is. See how he constantly throw tantrums?”

Never mind the fact that he throws tantrums as a way to cope when Dad’s drunk and abusive. At least when he’s having a tantrum, Dad doesn’t hit Mom because they both turn their focus on him.

Writers end up scapegoating characters all the time, especially in mystery writing. We want our readers to focus attention elsewhere while we hide the truth from them. In counseling, this deflection is not good and actually interferes with the therapeutic process. In mystery writing, this distraction is a necessary evil pleasure that makes the mystery harder to solve.

When I’m counseling a family that is exhibiting a scapegoating tendency, it truly gives me a headache. All the anger and stress and frustration is directed at one person, an any attempt on my part to lighten the scapegoat’s load is met with denial.

I’d like to propose that mystery writers should be so good at scapegoating that any attempt on the author’s part to weave in clues pointing to some other killer or thief would be met with reader denial, as well.

If you’ve done the work to throw off the reader, make them truly buy into it. Make the case so ironclad that the reader says to himself, “Well, it has to be Colonel Mustard. I mean, he mentioned how attractive and costly that candlestick was earlier in the book. His fingerprints were even found on it next to the victim. He had to have done it.”

This is exactly what scapegoating families do. They will drag out one piece of evidence after another to prove their point that Little Junior is the problem (read: culprit). “He won’t listen. He doesn’t obey. He screams and kicks. He’s out of control.”

Once you’ve gotten the reader rattling off a list of evidence that points to Colonel Mustard and you have them summarily dismissing other clues you planted that show his innocence, you’ve done your scapegoating job well.

I hope that I’ll get a chance to connect with many of you over at my new website, The Character Therapist and my blog. Be sure to sign up for my newsletter and receive the Writer’s Guide to Character Motivation for free!

Also up for grabs to one lucky commenter of this post is the Writer’s Guide to Creating Rich Back Stories. Leave a comment and don’t forget to include your email address! Comment through Saturday, June 11th, midnight ET for your chance to win.

Please join me at Confessions of a Mystery Novelist for my guest post with Margot Kinberg: 8 Ways to Keep Your Series From Going Stale.

I’ve got a guest post this morning at the Book Resort: Nancy, Trixie, Miss Marple, Hercule Poirot…and Me.

I want to thank Mason Canyon at Thoughts in Progress and Diane at The Book Resort and Hart Johnson at Confessions of a Watery Tart for their generous reviews of Finger Lickin’ Dead.

Giveaway: A signed copy of Finger Lickin’ Dead: http://tinyurl.com/3j7rfcr

And I’ve got a new cover. :)

Publishing is funny…it’s very, very slow. Painfully slow. Then suddenly, everything moves at the speed of light. :) Here’s the cover for my November 1 release, Hickory Smoked Homicide:

Thanks so much, everyone, for all your support and encouragement! I really do appreciate it. :) What do you think of the cover?

It’s here! Finger Lickin’ Dead releases today in a bookstore near you. Hope you’ll consider it if you enjoy mysteries, or know someone who does.

Download it on Kindle: http://amzn.to/kh7MAp

Mass market paperback: http://amzn.to/lfUE2N

Reviews:

Mason Canyon: http://tinyurl.com/6zco594

Book Resort: http://tinyurl.com/66gahz5

Finger Lickin’ Dead: When an anonymous food critic blasts several local restaurants—including Aunt Pat’s—Lulu Taylor and her customers are biting mad, especially when they learn that Eppie Currian is the pen name of their friend Evelyn’s cheating boyfriend. When “Eppie” gets his own fatal review, the list of suspects is longer than the list of specials at the best BBQ place in Memphis.

Giveaway: I’m giving away an autographed copy of Finger Lickin’ Dead—details here.

Blog tour: Dates and stops for the Finger Lickin’ Dead tour:
June 8—Confessions of a Mystery Novelist
June 9—Thoughts in Progress
June 10—Following the Whispers
June 12—Anne R. Allen’s blog
Wk. of June 12:Penguin’s Blog
June 13—K.B. Owen, Mystery Writer
June 14—Confessions of a Watery Tart
June 15–P.M. Terrell’s blog
June 16—Spunk on a Stick
June 17–A Million Blogging Monkeys
June 20—Alex J. Cavanaugh’s blog
June 21—The Other Side of the Story with Janice Hardy
June 22—The Creative Penn
June 23–Jami Gold’s blog

Thanks so much, everybody!

I got an interesting question from a writing friend last week.

She’d published a novel five years ago and wondered if that was too long ago to consider writing a sequel for the book.

My answer was that if a writer loves the novel’s characters and setting, then why not write a follow-up to the first book? It can, actually, be a lot easier to write a sequel than to create something entirely from scratch.

Her concern was mainly centered around the fact that her original readers might not be interested in reading a sequel after such a long break between books.

Although it would be great to get your original readers to read your sequel, it might be better to approach it as an opportunity to find new readers. If you still have your readers’ contact information (if they’d asked to be on your newsletter list, etc.), then you could send out a special edition of your newsletter alerting them to the long-awaited sequel.

Otherwise, I’d just look for brand-new readers via blogging and a professional Facebook page (like John Doe, Author).

As far as the writing of the novel goes, I’d probably write it as a standalone novel. If you write the book as if your characters haven’t already been introduced to your readers, you won’t confuse anyone. Besides, even the readers for your first book might need a refresher course.

If you self-published the first book or if you have your rights to re-release your backlist, you could consider re-launching the first book as an ebook. This could provide the introduction to the next book that you’re looking for. It would be especially easy if you have the original Word file of your first book. If you’re not sure where to start, Jenny Hansen wrote a great post on her Cowbell blog to get you pointed in the right direction. You really don’t need to have a lot of technical know-how.

At any rate, I don’t think a writer has anything to lose. You could make a few of your previous readers happy by providing a sequel, and could pick up a lot of new readers by writing a book full of characters you’re comfortable with who come alive on the page.

Have you ever considered writing a sequel to a book that came out years before? Come across any series like that?

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Finger Lickin’ Dead releases tomorrow! Hope you’ll join me for my blog tour, starting later this week. :)

Below are writing links that I’ve posted to Twitter in the last week.

The Writer’s Knowledge Base search engine, designed by software engineer and writer Mike Fleming, makes all these links searchable—try it for searches on plotting, characterization, querying, book promo, and more.

Finger Lickin’ Dead releases Tuesday! :)

250 Books By Women All Men Should Read: http://bit.ly/llNfsJ

How to Nix the Fear and Pitch that Post: http://bit.ly/jHiv0P

Aisle and Isle: http://bit.ly/mAAP6e

Eating the Elephant (making writing a habit and setting goals): http://bit.ly/jMMWoq

Constructing Your First Chapter: http://bit.ly/kRiJIt

Coming ‘Out of the Closet’ as a Writer: http://bit.ly/kHRAK4

A character survey that you can save and print: http://bit.ly/llBTvb

How do you find the time to write? http://bit.ly/lTf0I7 @JulietteWade

Children’s Books Are Not Just For Kids Anymore: http://bit.ly/liGdky

Resources for Young Writers: http://bit.ly/iT53uH

Publishing Traditionally Without an Agent: http://bit.ly/ikr5lq

On punctuation: http://bit.ly/imes74

8 Things To Consider When You Are Stuck: http://bit.ly/mq89VF

Introversion/Extroversion and Social Media: http://bit.ly/iYM1kK

What to expect during a critique: http://bit.ly/mJR22C @TereKirkland

What conflict isn’t: http://bit.ly/jSBkXL

Purple Prose = Empty Description: http://bit.ly/mQxtNI

Write for Your Readers: http://bit.ly/k1t59W

Why Introverts Don’t Need a Personality Transplant to Successfully Market: http://bit.ly/mxvhzV

3 Ways to Add Pizzazz to Your Author Bio: http://bit.ly/lbUdLS @keligwyn

An editor posts on dialect: http://bit.ly/mykWoF @TheresaStevens

Facts About Phrasal Verbs: http://bit.ly/iXecSY

Another Dialog Between Authors Barry Eisler and Joe Konrath: http://bit.ly/moDLmY

Books (and sites) On (selling your) Writing: http://bit.ly/lMm7QL

Writing YA Versus Adult Fiction: what’s the difference? http://bit.ly/mRehLE

Self-editing checklist–characterization: http://bit.ly/jwx1fe

Cliched Writing: Avoid it Like the Plague: http://bit.ly/iYezbN

5 reasons readers might not finish your book: http://bit.ly/kahf5T

Should You Design Your Own Book? Pro and Con: http://bit.ly/ioWFiu

How to Be a Disciplined Freelance Writer: http://bit.ly/iuvTkx

The pricing of ebooks and perceived value: http://bit.ly/itxoXI

6 Digital Tools That Keep 1 Writer Sane: http://bit.ly/jboQmj

Myst. Lov. Kitchen: Veggie Casserole http://bit.ly/kwbq2Z @CleoCoyle

How Can You Screw Up Your Book Cover? Let Me Count The Ways: http://bit.ly/m52nun

Characteristic Ages of Genres: http://bit.ly/jnesrq

6 Reasons Why You Need to Publish Ebooks: http://bit.ly/lFP0PP

10 Signs that You’re Doing Networking All Wrong: http://bit.ly/msUq7h

Revisiting the 3-Act Structure: http://bit.ly/lHKrVT

High impact fiction portrays universal human experiences: http://bit.ly/iuBWmv

Emotional State is Trajectory – Why You Might Un-Revise: http://bit.ly/kW9IE2

Are Hashtags the New Global Book Club? http://bit.ly/kIs9lB

Should Your Ebook Have an Afterword? http://bit.ly/iitPas

9 Twitter Tactics: What Works For You? http://bit.ly/mLIxYQ @BloggingMentor

Mystery Writers of America Opens Membership Door To Some eBook & Print-On-Demand Publishers: http://bit.ly/mz1vJB

Why Hard Work Matters More Than Talent: http://bit.ly/klteHV

How A Few Measly Words Can Dramatically Improve Your Article Headlines: http://bit.ly/ld4167

The Shelf Lives of Expressions and Slang: http://bit.ly/lqzu7Q

Agents–surviving the transition: http://bit.ly/l8NUDD

Worldbuilding: exceptions to the rules: http://bit.ly/iByHSw

A Few Words about Conflict: http://bit.ly/kiuc9x

Physical therapy for your writing: http://bit.ly/m60piK @jhansenwrites

7 Things Guns Cannot Actually Do: http://bit.ly/iqqFGo

Worldbuilding: New Discoveries (use your people!): http://bit.ly/iPXDwP

Physical Clichés: http://bit.ly/mgGM3l

Branding 101: Be Google-able: http://bit.ly/j0VR35 @JamiGold

Book Trailers, Batman, and Short-Form Promotion: http://bit.ly/kI5ZM6

An Agent On Engaging Your Audience: http://bit.ly/iRx5Gx

10 ways to write a book review and what to do when the book sucks: http://bit.ly/mjCHHK @emlynchand

9 Tips for a Successful Twitter Party: http://bit.ly/lkhkHo

Thanks to @TheBookResort for a delicious review of “Finger Lickin’ Dead!” http://bit.ly/lazEjf My book releases Tuesday!

Should you have multiple blogs? http://bit.ly/jnHy1p

Speaking Engagements – Be Prepared: http://bit.ly/iUb2tW @SpunkOnAStick

How Freewriting Can Help Writers Overcome Procrastination: http://bit.ly/jTsbnO

7 Traffic Stats You Should Know About Your Blog Or Website: http://bit.ly/lXsaAi @tonyeldridge

Writing Contests:Should You Take a Shot? http://bit.ly/jQPPQ1

Agent-author cliques? http://bit.ly/jo3o2m @literaticat

Tips for writing description: http://bit.ly/muM9cv

For publishers, the author is just one more noodle in a big bowl of pasta: http://bit.ly/mR9Fpi

Myst. Lov. Kitchen: Barbecue and Blue http://bit.ly/mMlihs @CleoCoyle

6 Tips for Writing ‘Clean’ For Young Adults: http://bit.ly/jaktv2

Top 10 World-Ending Threats In Comics: http://bit.ly/jnIGHG

Why being female and writing fantasy has its drawbacks: http://bit.ly/mzsGQp

Get the best writing articles from May and an interview with author @janice_hardy at http://bit.ly/kmJuy8 #writetips @hiveword

The Characters Must Come First (in Any Genre): http://bit.ly/lb45CZ

What to do with extra words: http://bit.ly/khDt7c

10 Things about Plot Bunnies: http://bit.ly/jcP5Dy

Contract Red Flag: Net Profit Royalty Clauses: http://bit.ly/lgJy7C

5 Ways to Develop a Unique Voice: http://bit.ly/khP3KS

How to Read a Book Contract – For Avoidance of Doubt: http://bit.ly/mwDU0s

Dialogue: Let’s be real. http://bit.ly/jouzCY

3 Reasons Dialog is Important, 3 Reasons It’s Not: http://bit.ly/jTkLW1 @victoriamixon

General tips for not freaking out when you miss a deadline: http://bit.ly/lxjqhe

3 Things Screenwriting Taught 1 Writer That She Applied to Fiction: http://bit.ly/lYrJpi

Thematic Significance for Writers: http://bit.ly/mJS4y4

Twitter Follow Button Simplified for Publishers, Authors & Readers: http://bit.ly/k5loSD

3 Signs You’re Renovating a Condemned Novel: http://bit.ly/jjKdLM

Putting a Series Out of Its Misery: http://bit.ly/ls4fGd

A look at bookshop mysteries: http://bit.ly/koZZNx @mkinberg

When Is Lying in Memoir Acceptable? 3 Key Issues: http://bit.ly/llOmWp

Are You A Blogger Buddy Or A Blogger Bum? http://bit.ly/jEzIkV

A way to study outer and inner story in your favorite books: http://bit.ly/inHffd

6 Steps to Returning to Writing: http://bit.ly/jPQmL5

Myst. Lov. Kitchen: Bruschetta Open-Faced Sandwich http://bit.ly/l1wiKI @CleoCoyle

Writers’ Time Management? http://bit.ly/laDRpy

How to Handle Those Pesky Rejection Letters: http://bit.ly/mAwYcl

On Grammar and Punctuation: http://bit.ly/jAgIra

Writing paradoxes: http://bit.ly/mnIVLJ

Branding 101: Online Brand vs. Author Brand: http://bit.ly/kgnZZo @JamiGold

The #FF (Follow Friday) Blitzkrieg: http://bit.ly/k6lbnS

Tags deleted from Kindle ebooks. What did you expect? http://bit.ly/jHrxTw

4 Easy Ways to Boost Your Word Count: http://bit.ly/llIxkP @MuseInks

5 Tools to Carry in a Conspiring Universe: http://bit.ly/jThtWf

Are You Linked In? http://bit.ly/jm8luO @jhansenwrites

10 signs of an approaching deadline: http://bit.ly/kEKCRz @elspethwrites

Visual Image Systems: http://bit.ly/jQm6EC

Scene Antagonists–The Making of a Hero: http://bit.ly/j9wfwe

Developing Your Creative Practice: http://bit.ly/l22neW

25 Words and Their Prepositional Pals: http://bit.ly/lcAh4a

8 Things You Need to Know About Living With a Writer: http://bit.ly/iTp5u4

Craft an Exceptional Elevator Pitch: http://bit.ly/lmKidl

Book proposals for nonfiction: http://bit.ly/mDBv92

In Defense of Keeping the Day Job: http://bit.ly/jXyDw5

Supporting Other Authors – Are they Competition or Support? http://bit.ly/kxzeKU @sarahketley

The Rogue Gallery: http://bit.ly/j7uWO1

Frustrated by Rejections? Change Your Angle: http://bit.ly/ioL1mb

Forget About Being Published: http://bit.ly/mfrpVE

Murder Your Muse: http://bit.ly/islB0t @mjcache

For screenwriters–an app that lets you open Final Draft (.fdx) files on your iPad: http://bit.ly/mr8EW4

An Agent on Response, No Response, Auto-response: http://bit.ly/lW4gk4

15 Figures of Speech to Color Your Characters: http://bit.ly/mp6Nxq

6 Saboteurs of Creativity and How to Thwart Them: http://bit.ly/mgvHCK @TheCreativePenn

Techniques for plotting: http://bit.ly/m5v4WX

Developing Supporting Characters: http://bit.ly/lc6zBG

Why pants and plots are the same thing: http://bit.ly/muaMT9

How authors are misled into thinking they’ve self-published when they haven’t: http://bit.ly/lrVSAI

Exploring moral dilemmas in our writing: http://bit.ly/lPMVNx

Writer’s Block and Depression: Why You Shouldn’t Bully Your Muse: http://bit.ly/m9PA9T

Do you have a Memory Palace? http://bit.ly/ijLZvA

What Else Does Your Character Want: http://bit.ly/kJmFt3

Magic in Fantasy: An Introduction: http://bit.ly/ja04hw

How to Get Your Ebook Listed for Free at Amazon (maybe): http://bit.ly/iTYTtZ @GoblinWriter

Fear of letting go: http://bit.ly/jT7Ij9

An editor posts about Publish America’s entry into the lit. agent biz: http://bit.ly/jvpfAx

The Call of the Wild: Fiction Writing: http://bit.ly/jcEyMR

Myst. Lov. Kitchen: The Land of the Free and the Home of the Brave http://bit.ly/kJa5OE @CleoCoyle

Pricing Your Ebook at 99 Cents: Pros and Cons: http://bit.ly/mLRIZJ

Are Happy Endings a Must? http://bit.ly/iX5HVk

Pronoun confusion: http://bit.ly/khVJXF

Memoir 101: http://bit.ly/kCx7ZU

The writing juggling act: http://bit.ly/ktNLpW

Tips from a burgeoning travel writer: http://bit.ly/iNkWA9

What’s wrong with Huckleberry Finn? http://bit.ly/jwWlCh @p2p_editor

A look at compelling openings: http://bit.ly/lsomWz

The Outline Dilemma—Plotting vs. Pantsing: http://bit.ly/jZjg6p

13 reasons why it’s hard to find the right critique partner: http://bit.ly/k3RAbe

Twitterific–my week in tweets: http://bit.ly/mwtlif

21st Century Evolution Of The Agent’s Role: http://bit.ly/ix5flu

How to help your favorite authors: http://bit.ly/lDiNGD @GoblinWriter

Dangers of the open schedule: http://bit.ly/kpigfR

7 Questions That Need To Be Asked On Writing About Writing: http://bit.ly/mNlpld

Top 10 Best Resource Guides for e-Book Authors: http://bit.ly/jk4MEY

How To Avoid the Trap of Creating Unlikable Characters: http://bit.ly/m6W36K

10 mistakes 1 writer has made: http://bit.ly/k3m3EX

The Case Against the Em Dash: http://slate.me/jm2MAC

Writing on the edge of genre: http://bit.ly/iwRrVS

7 Tips for Getting Your Guest Posts Published: http://bit.ly/iLmfb0

Myst. Lov. Kitchen: Sweet Revenge http://bit.ly/jc7Dy1 @CleoCoyle

Chaperoning a field trip is like a well-told story: http://bit.ly/jSr4VB @laurapauling

The Art Of The Blurb Request: http://bit.ly/kYwfnn

A Critical Marketing Secret: Don’t Go It Alone: http://bit.ly/jzFXjf

The Art of the Two-Book Deal: http://bit.ly/mzSvWX

5 Sentences Saved by Em Dashes: http://bit.ly/it8waV

How to Start a Writers’ Group (And Keep It Going): http://bit.ly/jKnoUu

Chatty Main Characters: http://bit.ly/l4gfJx

An editor on hyphenated compound adjectives: http://bit.ly/myrIhp

How to find out if your agent is an idiot: http://bit.ly/lbPpfy

10 questions to consider when hiring a freelance editor: http://bit.ly/kzVyjv

Tips for writing natural dialogue: http://bit.ly/kXpetZ

The Importance of First Impressions: http://bit.ly/lr0aiu @ingridsundberg

Is your idea blog-worthy or book-ready? http://bit.ly/kzixCc

The importance of consciously setting goals for our writing: http://bit.ly/j1t9Q6

9 Tips For Finishing That Novel: http://bit.ly/mChqLr

Diversity in SF/F for Young Readers, part 1: http://bit.ly/kKdeVf, part 2: http://bit.ly/j3RzVH, part 3: http://bit.ly/mqQox3

As a writer, it’s normal to struggle: http://bit.ly/m7cyCC

PublishAmerica Will Be Your Literary Agent…For $199: http://bit.ly/kRRGxu @victoriastrauss

8 Ways to Use Blogging as an Interactive Marketing Tool: http://bit.ly/jeatLb

Myst. Lov. Kitchen: Wouldn’t You Like to Be a Pepper, Too? http://bit.ly/luHwst @CleoCoyle

Find your unique hooks: http://bit.ly/mGIu7S

How to give a good interview: http://bit.ly/iDNBg2

Is there really such a thing as an original story? http://bit.ly/kRX5pk

Revisions Rock the House: http://bit.ly/kzDvzv

Strengthen Your Voice: http://bit.ly/kVgDC4

Do Stories Need a Theme? http://bit.ly/kAzeCx @jamigold

How to Tell a Compelling Story in 3 Steps: http://bit.ly/lvPzVf

Best Articles This Week for Writers 5/27/11: http://bit.ly/kPUHnF @4kidlit

Studying books you love: http://bit.ly/iJXkeH

Creativity Tweets of the Week : http://bit.ly/mjSZRH @on_creativity

An editor on chapter headings: http://bit.ly/iFVjOR

The Joy of Writing (Not More, Just Better) Sex: http://bit.ly/lpYIqD @BTMargins

5 Free E-Books Every Writer Needs: http://bit.ly/jFj6zf @janefriedman

Scenes in swim lanes: http://bit.ly/ipdzPN

5 ways to avoid an info dump: http://bit.ly/kvLUMo

62 ways to improve your press releases: http://bit.ly/jxHC0k

Are Your Blog Comments Good, Bad or Ugly? http://bit.ly/mmGtwY @BloggingMentor

How Many Projects Should You Have Before You Submit? An agent answers: http://bit.ly/lEVnFb

Tips for writing openings: http://bit.ly/lLauqd @authorterryo

10 Short Lessons From The World’s Best Copywriters: http://bit.ly/lAwwHp