Louisa Luna: Two Girls Down Wednesday, Jan 9 2019 

complex mystery and great read and mystery to die for and new series and suspense thriller Auntie M Writes Crime 12:42 am

Louisa Luna’s knockout Two Girl’s Down introduces two highly original characters readers will want to follow.

California PI Alice Vega finds herself on a plane to a small town in Pennsylannia when two young girls disappear. Having built up a reputation for finding missing children, the girl’s aunt has contacted Vega to assist the local police.

Max Caplan is a disgraced cop trying to make a living as a PI while raising teenaged daughter, Nell, after a divorce. When Vega contacts him to be her local contact and work the case with her, an unlikely partnership develops.

The local police are less than helpful, and with Cap’s history, the two strike out on their own at first. With the FBI’s invovlement, an uneasy truce is struck on sharing information and the two go to town.

Vega is unlike any other investigator Cap has known. Tough and smart, strong and feisty, she has contacts he doesn’t. But Cap has the local knowledge she needs as the fast plot crackles with suspense.

All of the characters are well-drawn, from the distraught family to the witnesses the duo encounter. It’s a read that will keep you rooted to the page, cinematic in its detailed view. You can hear the screenwriters sharpening their pencils.

The twists keep coming with an ending that flips back on itself and brings even more surprises. Readers will be clamoring for more Vega and Cap. This is Auntie M’s first Highly Recommended of 2019.

 

Charlot King: The Cambridge Murder Mysteries, and Animal Tales Sunday, Jan 6 2019 

Continued series winner and mystery to die for and Series not to be missed Auntie M Writes Crime 12:01 am


Auntie M recently had a chance to interview Cambridge author Charlot King. She’ll tell readers about her two series, The Cambridge Murder Mysteries, and Animal Tales.

Auntie M: You write the Cambridge Murder Mystery series but just brought out a new series, Animal Tales, very different. What prompted the switch?

Charlot King: Stories pop into my head, and I write them. I reckon it’s more of an addition than a switch. I’m still writing a lot more Cambridge Murder Mysteries if I’m spared, as I enjoy writing them. But sometimes, it’s nice to try something different, and the two series could not be more different. I hope that those readers of the Cambridge Murder Mysteries who try the Animal Tales will enjoy them. I don’t have a long-term plan; the strongest story or character at the time gets my attention.

AM: The covers on both series are wonderful, very eye-catching. Who designs them for you, and do you have input?

CK: I’ve commissioned Robin Howlett to illustrate all my stories so far. I have initial ideas of how I’d like each of the covers to look. I then give Robin a brief, and he brings each one to life. I wanted to find an illustrator who could draw art deco well. I struck lucky with Robin. I found him by spotting his poster illustrations and only afterwards discovered that he lives really near me. We have since been to the pub together on more than one occasion, and I count him as a friend!

AM: The mysteries give readers a great setting in Cambridge. Was it always on your mind to set them there?

CK: Places leave a strong impression on me, like they’re a living character or someone I know. I’m sure lots of people feel the same way. I write about other places in other books that I love, too, but the Cambridge Murder Mysteries are an homage to the city I live in that’s captured my heart. Cambridge is a very beautiful place, and there are so many little streets and alleyways, perfect for setting a murder or two. I don’t think I’d ever run out of places to stage the next murder mystery.

AM: You do a series of photographs of Cambridge taken on walks with your dog, Moobear . I keep telling you they should be made into notecards or postcards; they’re that good. Is your photographer’s eye something you call on when writing the mysteries?
Charlot King and Moobear:

CK: That is kind of you, I’m a total amateur, and all the photos are on my iPhone. Just snaps. I like to capture moments, steal them for later. I’m in awe of beauty generally. Who isn’t? I don’t set out to photograph Moobear either, she just mostly walks into the shot! I find walking more than therapeutic. It is part of who I am. Wherever I am, if I’m indoors for too long I get a strong urge to get outside. I don’t mean that I’m a mountain climber, but if I had all the time in the world, I’d love to walk from Land’s End to John o’ Groats. At rambling or wandering pace. With lots of stop offs for tea and cake. Perhaps it’s something about slowing down? Chatting to people through happenstance? The photographs are just something I do when I’m out walking. If I had to give up one of them, it would be the photography.

AM: The Animal Tales showcase your affinity for animals. Have you always loved animals?

CK: Wouldn’t it be a boring and strange planet without them? If they could talk, everything would be so different… When I was younger, the family always had dogs and cats. We mostly lived in towns, and when I was very little, I wanted a pony, mainly from reading the Norman Thelwell books. I also wanted a lion, after watching Daktari on Saturday morning television. I suppose as I grew older I realised that would be a bad idea. But I’ve always wanted to share my life with animals as I think they teach us so much. They are humbling and awe-inspiring. And they deserve better than they get from humanity.

AM: Elizabeth Green is the professor who does the sleuthing in your Cambridge Murder Mysteries. How did you develop her character?

CK: Back in the early 2000s, I was on a walk in Chilham near Canterbury in Kent – of all places. My father had been the head teacher in the village, and I wanted to go back and take my family to see it. While walking, we saw this lady standing outside her back gate. She had such an intelligent face and was engrossed in conversation. Her voice boomed out as we walked by. The idea came to me as I was walking past her. I have no idea who she was, but she inspired me. As we drove back home, I already had the first murder in my head.

AM: There’s a lot of science involved in those plots. Do you do the research yourself or have a good resource?

CK: I studied politics for my first degree, but then for my PhD, I studied public policy and biotechnology. Specifically, I looked at the deliberate release of genetically manipulated organisms and public policy. I am not a biologist, but I did have to read up on an awful lot of genetics, biology and botany. So I draw heavily on memory and books on poisons. I try as best I can to be accurate, but my novels are in no way police procedural. They are just stories, so I’d hope my readers like them for other reasons than for their scientific precision.

AM: Who were your influences to turn to crime fiction when you started writing?

CK: Colin Dexter and Agatha Christie for sure, but I don’t read crime fiction these days. I used to read a lot when I was younger. I think the books that influenced me the most – which I think this question is about – came to me when I studied the Politics of English Literature as a module for part of my first degree at the L.S.E. It covered the whole sweep of political novelists, poets and playwrights. I was in heaven on that course, reading Woolf, Wilde, Shaw, Thomas, Huxley, Yeats, Joyce, Orwell, the list goes on. Our teacher, Professor Black, would take us to Ronnie Scott’s Jazz Club for some of our lessons.

I also like a bit of poetry. Favourites at the moment include: ‘The Old Vicarage, Grantchester’, by Rupert Brooke (there’s a lovely recording of that poem on YouTube by the way!) Also, love listening to Dylan Thomas’s ‘Under Milk Wood’, read by Richard Burton. Dylan Thomas’ poem, ‘Do Not Go Gentle Into That Good Night’ was particularly helpful recently, as I lost my father just last year. Perhaps that’s why I’m going through a phase of reading a number of autobiographies by comedians. My heart belongs to comedy. I’m just not a funny writer. I’ve tried.

AM: What’s a writing day like for Charlot King when you’re working on a manuscript?

CK: I aim to write 1,000 words a day. Sometimes it comes quickly. Sometimes it takes ages. I find writing the first draft the most enjoyable. But, I spend most of the time rewriting a book. Probably 80% is rewriting for me. That is a much more agonising task. I much prefer making up the story in the first place. I like the puzzle. I expect one day a computer will do all the hard rewriting for us. Can’t wait.

AM: Finally, whose books would we find on your nightstand, waiting to be read?

CK: I’ve mentioned I like reading autobiographies about British comics. I’ve just bought Paul O’ Grady’s ‘Country Life’. I don’t tend to read at night, as my eyes are pretty shot and need the rest.

AM: Where can readers find your books?

CK: Amazon around the world, and if they are in Cambridge, Heffers Bookshop. And if any of your readers are on Twitter, please do get in touch. I’m @queencharlot. Or Instagram is charlot_king_cambridge, and my website is charlotking.com.

 

Best Reads of 2019 Wednesday, Jan 2 2019 

Uncategorized Auntie M Writes Crime 12:22 am

In 2018 Auntie M reviewed 160 books! That’s a new record for her, and doesn’t include the several dozen extra books she’s read for her own pleasure. Phew!

There are so many BEST OF lists going around now and here are those that stood out to Auntie M and earned her HIGHLY RECOMMENDED rating. That doesn’t mean the other books aren’t worth reading! But these had that something special that lingers after the read, or causes you to zip through them to the end of the story. All of the reviews of these books are archived, so if you missed any, you’ll be able to pull up the individual review.

They are listed on the order they were read. Many of these are now available in paperback or Kindle or Audible. Happy Hunting!


AJ Finn: The Woman in the Window


Anthony Horowitz: The Word is Murder


Tony Parsons: Die Last


Nikki French: Sunday Silence


Tracee de Hahn: A Well-Timed Murder


Alex Gray: The Swedish Girl


Emily Winslow: Look For Her


Ausma Zehant Kahn: A Dangerous Crossing


Stefan Ahnhem: The Ninth Grave


Stuart MacBride: A Dark So Deadly


Kate Rhodes: Hell Bay


Claire MacKintosh: Let Me Lie


Elizabeth George: The Punishment She Deserves


Elly Griffiths: Dark Angel


Sharon Bolton: The Craftsman


Ashley Dyer: Splinter in the Blood


Tony Parsons: Girl on Fire


CJ Tudor: The Chalk Man


Erik Rickstad: What Remains of Her


Hank Philiipi Ryan: Trust Me


Stuart MacBride: Blood Road


Peter Blauner: Sunrise Highway


Mandy Morton: Magical Mystery Paws


Michael Robotham: The Other Wife


Louise Penny: Kingdom of the Blind


Sarah Ward: The Shrouded Path

 

Sarah Ward: The Shrouded Path Monday, Dec 31 2018 

complex mystery and Continued series winner and great read and mystery to die for Auntie M Writes Crime 12:26 am


Almost Happy New Year to Auntie M’s readers, and she leaves you for 2018 with one of her favorite reads of this year.

Sarah Ward’s newest DC Childs mystery, The Shrouded Path, has led the Guardian to note: “Like Ann Cleeves . . . Ward has a gift for the macabre.”

Auntie M hadn’t really thought of Ward’s series that way, but she supposed it fits, as that sort of creepyiness that infiltrates the best of Cleeves work is at play in this series, too.

The plot centers around events of 1957, with some details dropped in from that time period alerting the readers to a well, macabre incident that happened then but isn’t made clear until near the end of the book. All in good time . . .

For DC Connie Childs, getting used to DI Matthews covering for DI Sadler, having a staycation, news that an elderly woman has been found dead sitting upright in her own living room sounds like nothing more than a routine death, if death can ever be routine to the person whose died. Then why does Connie feel like she should pursue the matter? Is it simple boredom, or a wish to impress their new DC, Peter Dahl?

At the same time, Mina Kemp, a gardener known locally as the Land Girl, has been visiting her dying mother in hospital. When her mother becomes agitated over a girl known as Valerie, it soon becomes apparent that to ease her mother’s mind, she must find this Valerie, whom her mum keeps insisting has visited her. But then the oddest thing happens. Mina’s mum confesses Valerie is dead.

With Connie using her instincts to push on the investigation, a second death of an eldery woman comes to light, and when it seems the two women knew each other, Connie and Peter Dahl are alert to the connection. And then a third woman dies, and this time there can be no pretending this was a natural death, especially when she’s linked to the other two women.

With tales of old, secrets kept, and people who’ve learned to cope moving on, even Sadler will be surprised at the turn of events in this fully realized, compelling mystery. A strong entry in a fine series, this one just keeps getting better and better, and earns Auntie M’s ‘highly recommended rating’ for the last day of 2018.

 

Louise Penny: Kingdom of the Blind Tuesday, Dec 25 2018 

Award winning novelist and complex mystery and Continued series winner and great read and mystery to die for Auntie M Writes Crime 12:33 am


Merry Christmas to all of Auntie M’s readers, and Happy Holidays if you celebrate another.

And the merriest of holidays to readers everywhere for Louise Penny’s newest, Kingdom of the Blind, a holiday gift to her readers everywhere that many thought wouldn’t occur this year.

No one would have blamed Penny for not giving us an Inspector Gamache book this year after the death of her beloved husband, Michael, the model for Armand Gamache. And indeed while it is later than her usual August publication, it’s a wonder and a delight she found the courage and stamina to write at all. So thank you to Louise Penny for giving her readers another Gamache to savor and enjoy.

With Gamache on suspension and still being investigated after the events of last year’s Glass Houses, the detective is enjoying Three Pines and his lovely wife, Reine-Marie, but is intrigued when a letter arrives expecting him to be present at an old farmhouse outside of town. Derelict and looking ready to collapse, it is there he meets, to his surprise, his good friend, bookstore owner and former psychologist Myrna Landers, also summoned, plus a rather eccentric young builder named Benedict.

All three are puzzled to learn they have been named the liquidators, or executors we would say in the US, of the will of a local cleaning woman most knew by sight, who liked to be called “the Baroness.”

Why did Bertha Baumgartner entrust the liquidation of her estate to three people she barely knew? And what of the odd bequests in the will itself?

What starts out as an oddity soon turns into tragedy when a body is found, connected to the old woman, and under most unusual circumstances. While the case begins for some, and leads to surprising quarters, Gamache is still bound up in trying to find the opiods he allowed to be brought into Quebec in order to end the large US-Quebec cartel operating in the area.

It’s why he’s on suspension, and with the deadly drug ready to hit the streets, the reason he’s racing against time, using any means possible to find the location of the drug. And he will find help in a most unlikely quarter, but at what cost to himself, his career, and others he cares about?

In her books Penny always manages to bring tears to Auntie M’s eyes, and this one is no exception. As the climax approaches with tremendous suspense, readers will be flipping pages wildly to seek the result.

With her keen ability to use Gamache to illustrate her characters as he sees them, readers become entwined with even the most secondary character and their outcomes. And to those who are repeat characters, readers attach a deep affection and interest in their lives.

While able to pierce the darkest parts of a human soul, Penny has a unique gift that allows those holes to let in the light and grace deep within us all.

Highly Recommended~

 

Magical Mysteries Sunday, Dec 23 2018 

Uncategorized Auntie M Writes Crime 12:12 am

Holiday post #4, whereby Auntie M tells of great mysteries this time for holiday gift giving. These are a varied lot!


For those who like their mysteries quirky, look for Meghan Scott Molin’s The Frame-Up. This debut in an inventive new series features comic book writer MG Martin, a geek who also designs costumes for drag queen pal.

The action starts with MG noticing a crime scene photo straight out of her favorite comic series, The Hooded Falcon, except for the Falcon’s signature, a golden arrow. The man in line at the coffee shop perusing the photo is the LAPD detective on the case, Matteo Kildaire, and it turns out there was a golden arrow found at the scene. And that this comic was put out by MG’s employer, Genius Comics.

With explanations out of the way, Kildaire allows MG to assist him as long as her invovlement is kept quiet. Gathering intel requires Matteo to assume the role of MG’s boyfriend so he can investigate her fellow employees. The negataive is that as MG’s theories prove right over and over again, she put herself in the crosshairs as the Golden Arrow.

A nicely twisted plot, creatively written with an eye into the world of comics and a hint of romance. Lots of humor here, too.


More or a romance, and an Amish one at that, Shelley Sheparad Gray’s His Promise is a Christmas story in the country, one having a rash of suspicious fire.

Grace King is a pet sitter missing her family. Then firefighter John Michael Miller crosses her path, the same man who broke her sister’s heart years before, bringing both Grace’s anger and her feelings for the man to the forefront. But the reason behind that heartbreak just might herald a huge surprise for Grace.

With the fires escalating and the couple’s complicated feelings for each other surfacing, this is a charming holiday tale with a hint of mystery for readers enjoying Christian fiction.

We head across the pond to France for Cay Rademacher’s second Provence Mystery, Deadly Camargue. Detectives Roger Blanc (Capitaine) and Marius Tonon are called in the middle of a heat wave to the Camargue to investigate the suspicious death of reporter and television personality Albert Cohen.

Gored by a bull when out cycling, it was originally believed to be an accident, until it seems the gate was left open intentionally. Who would have wanted to kill him? Cohen’s been working on an article on van Gogh, but could that have a tie to a long ago burglary?

With a grand look at the history and area’s landscape, long-held secrets will be uncovered as the duo look deeper and deeper.There’s a nice touch of humor, too, as Blanc settles in with his new home and new colleagues at work. A deft sequel.

Keeping across the pond, we travel to the Italian Alps and Aosta for a return visit to chief Rocco Schiavone in Antonio Manzini’s Out of Season.

A real stand-out in fictional sleuths, Rocco is something of a rebel as well as non-traditional character, who’s drawn readers to him like flies.

A deadly crash after a young girl’s kidnapping raises more questions than answers. Who were the dead kidnappers and why this girl? And just how did the girl survive the crash?

As Rocco investigates, a Roman fish out of urban wate, sent to the icy area of the small northwestern town, the detective will use his wiles and canny means to investigate. He’s not afraid to step outside the box or step on a few toes to get to the bottom of this compelling mystery.

Along the way there will be a snow storm, a prison break, and even a chance for romance for Rocco, all contained within a witty and complex mystery that packs a visual wallop one can imagine on the big screen.

Carol Potenza won the 2017 Tony Hillerman prize with good reason readers will appreciate once they read Hearts of the Missing. Set in New Mexico, we are introduced to Pueblo Police Sergeant Nicky Matthews, who covers a nearby reservation.

She’s investigating the the suicide of a young woman linked to missing Fire-Sky tribe members. With the murders tied to a genetic link, Nicky must tred carefully among the indigenous people and their beliefs, as well as her own bosses and the reservation’s tribal elders. The mysticism mixes with science in this researched tale.

Native American culture, at the forefront, is handled in such a way that readers will learn about it even as Nicky finds herself in jeopardy. There’s a bundle of forensic evidence, too, as author Potenza is an Assistnat Professor of Chemistry and Biochem at New Mexico State University.

 

Thrillers for the Holidays Friday, Dec 21 2018 

Uncategorized Auntie M Writes Crime 12:11 am

Holiday post #3, great holiday thrillers for readers on your list!

Multiple award-winning journalist and documentarian Michael Harvey lends his talents for place and people for a second time with Pulse. 1970s Boston springs off the page with all the grit and suspense South Boston can hold.

The Fitzsimmons brothers have relied on each other when their mother drowned years ago. Older brother Harry, star of Harvard’s football team, has kept watch over younger brother, Daniel, now 16. When an opportunity arises for Daniel to move out of his cramped quarters on the floor of Harry’s room, his new landlord has a different perspective he shares.

The former Harvard physics professor, working with an early generation laptop, shares his theories of harnessing the energy of the human mind. Daniel masters this and soon calls it into action when Harry is murdered in an alley.

Bark Jones and Tommy Dillon are the detectives working Harry’s murder. They have their own history and working the case leads to surprising and heartbreaking secrets and decisions on both sides. Can’t talk about more of the plot of this twisted and compelling plot without giving a lot away. Just be assured that if your reader loves a twisted plot, this is the book to find.


Camiila Way’s The Lies We Told brings a domestic suspense thriller to readers. While Beth knows her daughter, Hannah, has an issue with being unable to express emotion, she becomes wary of her child who seems capable of hurting others.

When perfect Luke disappears, it’s his girlfriend Clara’s digging into his past that will uncover his perfect family she thought he was from includes a long-lost sister. The secrets and lies she uncovers illustrate an elaborate almost maze-like twist in history of several of the characters and the cover lives that have been created for some.

A twisted and manipulative plot means even when you think it’s over, it’s not.


Thriller writer Brian Gruley brings a stand-alone with a terrific plot in Bleak Harbor.

Set during the Dragonfly Festival in Bleak Harbor, Michigan, a mother will do anything she can to save her kidnapped son. Heiress Carey Bleak Peters has just threatened her boss with extortion for money she would use to take her son, Danny, and herself away from Bleak Harbor and start a new life away from her family and her alcoholic husband, whose own business has turned to the illegal side.

With the kidnappers demanding $5 million in ransom, Carey and Pete go against their demand and involve the police. Enter the engaging Katya Malone, recovering from a tragic family loss, who will uncover family secrets that may have led to Danny’s kidnapping.

Set as a race against time counting down, the suspense couldn’t be higher in this thriller Gillina Flynn calls “An electric bolt of suspense.”

If you have a reader on your list who enjoys political thrillers, look no farther than Goldie Taylor’s Paper Gods. Bringing money and race to the forefront, a series of assassinations being investigated could jump off the pages of today’s news.

People attached to Atlanta Mayor Victora Overstreet are being killed, with paper gods being left at the scenes. Reporter Hampton Bridges, sidelined, lost, and wheelchair-bound, should be her nemesis with their shared history. But the two soon become involved in their own investigations into who is behind these killings. Each has their own demons to handle; each cares deeply about their city in their own way.

With a strong cast of secondary characters, not to mention Bridges faithful dog, Inman, the city of Atlanta becomes another character with its history and its present well described. Taut and fast-paced.

Lisa Gabriele retells du Maurier’s classic Rebecca by bringing it across the pond to the Hamptons of Long Island in The Winters.

The story follows the same thread of the naive bride, unnamed, quickly married to the wealthy Max Winter, in this outing a state senator. Left alone as he travels, adjusting to Asherley on Long Island after her Cayman Islands home, the reminders in her new home are filled with references to Max’s first wife, Rebekah.

This time instead of a jealous servant, we have Dani Winters, Max’s teen daughter, who is the disruptive influence. But Dani is successful in causing the new bride to question how well she really knows her new husband. And that’s when this new book deliciously diverts from the former and takes on a life of its own.

 

Michael Robertson: A Baker Street Wedding Wednesday, Dec 19 2018 

amateur sleuth and Continued series winner and great read and mystery to die for and Series not to be missed Auntie M Writes Crime 1:00 am

    One of Auntie M’s favorite series for your holiday consideration:


    Michael Robertson’s fifth Baker Street Mystery, A Baker Street Wedding, features modern solicitor Reggie Heath, whose offices with his brother, Nigel, at the infamous 221B Baker Street London address bring them letters addressed to Sherlock Holmes.

    This latest installment revovles around Reggie’s wedding to actress Laura Rankin, and as the book opens, the disasterous day has taken off literally. There is the leak to paparazzi of the Cornwall location, which makes the reception as short-lived as the wedding cake. With the newleyweds desperate for peace and quiet, they escape to a remote village where Laura once attended school.

    The design for this comes early in the story, but Laura doesn’t mention that she has this destination in mind when she pulls Reggie into a plane he didn’t know she could pilot and flies them away from the hounding photographers.

    The small village where they arrive, in a valley between the cliffs and the moors, is one long block long. The school Laura attended has been closed, and the local theatregroup are doing a fundraiser of the Scottish play in hopes of reopening it.

    Small wonder, then, that Laura ends up here, and when the local gal playing Lady M dies tragically, Laura is seconded to not only save the show, but figure out if the young woman’s accident might be murder.

    With Reggie in the dark at first, groping blindly as secrets from Laura’s past come to the forefront, he will scramble to save her and himself. And when his best efforts fail, it will be up to an unlikely source to pitch in.

    The wry tone of the book will delight readers as much as the clever plot. Perhaps Auntie M’s favorite of the series so far.

     

Shawn Reilly Simmons: Murder with all the Trimmings Tuesday, Dec 18 2018 

amateur sleuth and Continued series winner and great read and mystery to die for and Series not to be missed Auntie M Writes Crime 12:42 am


Please welcome Shawn Reilly Simmons, with her new release Murder With All the Trimmings, a grand gift for the holidays, who will graciously share her writing methods.

Thanks for having me on the blog, Auntie M!

Whenever I’m speaking at an author event at a bookstore or library and the audience is prompted to ask questions, I generally get at least one about my writing process. The questions typically revolve around how I got started writing or how I’ve managed to write so many books so quickly (six in about seven years, and close to a dozen published short stories).

Every writer has their own routine and method of getting their work done, and my way may not work for everyone. But in the event it might be helpful to some, here is how I approach my writing.

I wrote my first book early in the mornings from five to around seven or eight, or whenever my infant son woke up for the day. When he was born, I left my day job to stay home with him, and that’s also when I got serious about my writing.

I’d always wanted to write for a living, but as it often does, life (and luxuries like paying rent and buying groceries) got in the way, and I ended up pursuing a marketing career in New York City after graduating college.

Those early days as a new parent are exhausting, and your time really isn’t your own until they’re through those first crucial years. And forget about sleep, at least in my situation. Those early morning hours, however, are unique in their serenity, and they were always when I could get the most work done. The habit has stuck and to this day I still get 90% of my writing done at that time of the day.
I prefer to write while it’s quiet, no music or TV background noise, with just a laptop and a cup of coffee on my desk. Besides the early mornings being quiet in my house, they’re also quiet out in the rest of the world, generally speaking. At that time of the day, I typically haven’t gotten any emails or texts or Facebook messages that have to be dealt with right away, or that provide a distraction from the task at hand.

Another skill that I cultivated in those early years of motherhood was contemplating the next morning’s work during those quiet moments at the end of the day. While listening to my infant son fall asleep, I’d think about the next scene in the book I’d write. I’d work out how the plot would progress, and what my characters would be up to. It worked so well, that I still practice this quiet meditation seven years later. My last thought as I’m falling asleep is my work in progress and the next scenes to be written.

I think because of this habit, I’ve never experienced writers’ block. I’m ready to go every morning, having worked out the way ahead in the plot before I’ve sat down.

The last tip I’d suggest to writers who are working on being more productive is to find that magic hour or hours that works for them, and write every day during that time. Magic time is when you feel the most creative and relaxed, and when you can tune out the world for a while, and focus on your story. This timeframe will be different for everyone. I have author friends who are early risers like me, and others that swear those late hours after everyone else has fallen asleep are their most creative. Once you find the time of day that works best for you, commit to writing during that time, be consistent, and really write (no Facebook or research!) You can research outside your magic time.

Before you know it, you’ll have a finished story or book. And the added benefit of holding yourself to a routine is that self-discipline brings confidence with it, and as writers we’re always grateful for more of that!

Hopefully one or more of these pointers can help a writer or two out there. Keep writing, everyone, and Happy Holidays!
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Murder With All the Trimmings, the sixth book in The Red Carpet Catering Mysteries, was released on November 13, 2018. Shawn’s books are available online and in book stores and libraries everywhere. For a listing of events, to join Shawn’s monthly email newsletter (recipes included!), and for a complete list of published books and stories, please visit http://www.shawnreillysimmons.com/
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Shawn Reilly Simmons

Shawn Reilly Simmons is the author of The Red Carpet Catering Mysteries featuring Penelope Sutherland, an on-set movie caterer, and of several short stories appearing in various anthologies including “Burnt Orange” in Passport to Murder: the 2017 Bouchercon Anthology (Down & Out Books), and “The Prodigy” in Mystery Tour, the Crime Writers’ Association Anthology (Orenda Books).

Shawn was born in Indiana, grew up in Florida, and began her professional career in New York City as a sales executive after graduating from the University of Maryland with a BA in English. Since then Shawn has worked as a book store manager, fiction editor, convention organizer, wine rep, and movie set caterer. She serves on the Board of Malice Domestic, and is an editor at Level Best Books.

Shawn is a member of Sisters in Crime, Mystery Writers of America, the International Thriller Writers, and the Crime Writers’ Association in the U.K.

Cooking behind the scenes on movie sets perfectly combined two of her great loves, movies and food, and provides the inspiration for The Red Carpet Catering series, published by Henery Press.

 

Holiday Historicals: More great gifts Saturday, Dec 15 2018 

complex mystery and Continued series winner and great read and historical saga and mystery to die for Auntie M Writes Crime 12:52 am

Post #2 of Auntie M’s holiday suggestions, today she offers several set in other eras for that person on your list who likes a change of time period.


Will Thomas’s Barker and Llewelyn series is a favorite of Auntie M’s and Blood is Blood a strong entry. In Victorian London, the private enquiry agents are readying themselves for the younger Llewelyn’s wedding when their offices near Parliament are bombed. The damage to the building is severe and Barker is lucky to be alive.

With Barker in hospital and not being charitable about it, it will be up to Llewelyn to take on the role his mentor would fill, directing the investigation. He’s not helped by the surprise turnup of Barker’s brother, Caleb, who turns up from the US and tries to help–or does he? Working his way through a list he’s compiled of Barker’s enemies who might be behind the bombing, it soon becomes obvious that these same enemies are being picked off.

Throw in a bride who’s suddenly unsure of her soon-to-be husband’s occupation, a lovely young woman who just might be deceitful, and that brother who might or might not be invovled, and you have all the ingredients for a first class mystery.


Karen Odden’s A Dangerous Duet takes readers to Victorian Soho where a young female pianist must face a mystery while she tries to overcome the mores of the day.

With a brother, Matthew, in Scotland Yard, and a family history that discourages her interest, Nell Hallam’s goal is to attend the Royal Academy of Music. To earn her tuition, she plays piano–brilliantly–at a music hall. Disguised as a man, sneaking out her house at night to her job, Nell soon finds the lively atmosphere and different performers suit her, as does the the owner’s son, Jack, until the night another young woman performer is found dead in an alley. When Nell becomes involved in London’s underworld, she also entangles herself in her brother’s investigation.

A tough choice follows when Matthew has Jack in his sights. Filled with realistic details of the Victorain music halls and crimes of the day, London’s seedier side of town illustrates the danger and vitality that made it so fascinating.

Dangerous to Know is Renee Patrick’s second mystery featuring Edith Head and social secretary to the stars, Lillian Frost. Readers enjoying old-world Hollywood will enjoy this story, set in 1938, with the shadow of WWII hanging over everyone.

There’s something for everyone here, with appearances by Marlene Dietrich, suspicious of the Third Reich, when Jack Benny and George Burns face smuggling charges, and a talented visiting composer goes missing. Billy Wilder, Dorothy Lamour and Greta Garbo, in addition to others at Paramount, show up in cameos. It’s a world of beautiful gowns and secrets behind old movies we still adore when Lillian tries to find the composer and instead finds herself embroiled in a murder.

Great fun and packed with old gossip and real details that are fascinating and show the depth of research the married authors bring to the series.

 

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