Some of MURDER WE WROTE, 2010

I really love this event. Very casual, laid-back, beautiful park grounds setting. It was here, a couple of years back, where my author pals and I met the venerable Ray Bradbury! This year, we will be rubbing shoulders with the very popular, best-selling author of SHANGHAI GIRLS, Lisa See. I can’t wait.

Just as important, I’ll be meeting up with a fine group of mystery authors. Yes, MURDER WE WROTE is getting the band back together! Joel Fox, Jenny Hilborne, Gayle Carline, Jeff Sherratt and Teresa Burrell will be joining Alyssa Montgomery and I for some dark, devious planning that just might involve criminal intent. We might even sell a few books at the same time.

If you’re local (or loco) and looking for a really fun afternoon with some really fun people (REALLY fun, I mean it!!) then head on out to Westminster Gardens in Duarte on Saturday, October 8th, from 10 am to 5 pm. It’s free to get in, free to park, free to enjoy the fresh air. Yeah, the books cost money, but they are still one of the best entertainment values around (you can buy two of mine for the price of one night at the movies!)

More info can be found here. Come on down!

Pam & Kwei

To lighten the tone after my last cranky post, here’s a snapshot taken yesterday at Barnes & Noble, Valencia, California. Kwei Quartey is the author of the Inspector Darko Dawson Mystery series, the most recent of which is CHILDREN OF THE STREET. Kwei is a delightful guy and I’m always glad to see him. He periodically sends me lighthouse photos he snaps while traveling, most often from Ghana, his home country.

Big thanks to Jackie Vick and Sisters in Crime/Los Angeles for setting up our panel discussion. Also to Lori Christian of Barnes and Noble, a most gracious and knowledgeable hostess! We’re hoping to put together a lighthouse discussion in the future.

If you missed this event, all of our books are available at Barnes and Noble, as well as that other big online bookseller you might know about.

Lorraine Stephens

I woke up in a bad mood to begin with. Groggy, tired, I squinted at my cell phone as I staggered into the kitchen in search of some coffee and dog food. The kibble was for Sandie and Dolce, the coffee, well, for me. But I paused when I saw an email subject line from an old friend in the east:  “Sad news.” And I knew.

Lorraine was my first real editor. While that in itself is important, what was even more valuable was her belief in me as a writer. As an author. She loved my stories, praised them time after time. The edits were grueling; after all, these were my early romance novels and I was still developing my skills. But she once said, of StarCrossed Hearts, “I must have read this manuscript seven times by now, and I still love reading it. Your characters are like old friends of mine.”

She once pitched my book to John DeSalvo, who happened to be sitting at the same table during a romance book convention. For those not in-the-know, John is one of the most popular romance novel cover models ever–he’s appeared on over 1500 books! So John mentioned he was going to become a movie producer and was looking for a big, epic romance to film. Lorraine handed him a copy of my book. Bless her heart.

Lorraine was a founding partner of Wings ePress, which opened its publishing doors just ten years ago next month. StarCrossed Hearts was one of their four launch titles. I was quite proud of that fact. Later, I went to work for Wings, managing their cover art department. It was a lot of work for very little pay, but I enjoyed working with Lorraine, the other partners and staff members. And, of course, the authors, all realizing their dreams of becoming published.

We always worried about how hard Lorraine worked. She would often sit in her recliner until the wee hours, reading and editing on her Rocket eBook device. She was exhausted, but she almost never missed a deadline. She was firm but kind to her authors. She loved her dogs, her friends, her sons (not necessarily in that order). She spoke with a little bit of urgency, but with a Southern inflection I loved. Writing under the name Margaret B. Lawrence, Lorraine was also a fine author of romantic and historical suspense.

I’m sure the long hours and stress took its toll; a few years back, Lorraine had a debilitating stroke that left her unable to work like she had before. Regrettably, at first because I didn’t want to bother her, we lost touch. I’d been meaning to write her. Always thought I would, one day, talk to her again. But last night, her heart decided to take a well-deserved rest.

Lorraine, you did good, girl. You went after a dream and made it come true. You made it possible for hundreds of struggling writers to become published authors. I’ve seen their tears of joy upon getting that first copy, that first tangible evidence of their success. You accomplished that. All those nights of burning the midnight oil, all those aches and pains, the tired eyes, sacrifices—it was all worth it. And in case I didn’t say it enough before…

Thank you, LOLly. I miss you.

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I really liked this book. It read like a historical memoir, rich with authentic detail. I like that it is set in Seattle. The bouncing back and forth between the 1940′s war years and 1986 reminded me of my own book (Cape Seduction) and was well done. Story moves at an easy pace; there is a lot of thought and day-to-day life.

The subject matter itself is a strong reminder of a another world of prejudice too easily forgotten. Japanese-heritage Americans were rounded up and removed in much the same manner as the Cherokees a hundred years before. The strong but conflicting goals and philosophies of Henry’s Chinese father are another reminder of the plight Asian immigrants faced in their new country. American-born Henry and his son Marty evolve but maintain their Chinese cultural ties. Especially interesting to me as I have a half-Chinese grandson who will be learning Mandarin.

And, of course, the love. Henry and Keiko’s is a poignant story. All of the characters are well-drawn, realistic and interesting.

This was a fast read for me and kept me entertained throughout. I’ll read more from Jamie Ford.

Take a moment to read an interview with Jamie Ford here.

View all my reviews

Friday night we joined fellow Echelon authors Beth Solheim, Mary Welk and Luisa Buehler for dinner, then grabbed LJ Sellers from O’Hare. Weather, to this point, was hot-hot and muggy. But Saturday morning dawned cloudy and cool. We kept one eye on the sky while organizing our ½ booth, staying optimistic as we squeezed into space meant for half as many people. Our tent-mates, “Drawn and Quarterly”, were actually quite accommodating when Karen suggested we cut the booth in half rather than diagonally.

Nick Valentino, Norm Cowie, Karen Syed

I was thrilled with the pre-release copies of CAPE SEDUCTION that arrived in time to show off to book-buying Chicagoans. Best sale of the day:  to an excited reader with LIGHTHOUSE EARRINGS! No brainer, that one! The interest, not the reader, LOL.

However, even the nicest books look a little dowdy when subjected to rainfall. By midday, the temp had dropped and so had the wet stuff from the sky, as our authors scrambled to cover everything with tarps and plastic drop cloths. Most of us had dressed for heat and humidity but not chilly rain. Sales dropped off when the umbrellas came out. We packed up a half hour early while it poured, then walked the block and a half to a wonderful Italian restaurant (Trattoria Caterina) for dinner where talk ranged from new manuscripts and industry news to the wine Norm brought to share…

Sam Morton and Yours Truly

Sunday was better, traffic was higher and sales were up. But by 4 pm, the rain returned, and because it was later in the day, most people just left and vendors began to break down early. The band was still playing across the way, so most of us danced—we were a happy sight to see! Around this time I joined Nick Valentino at the Old Towne Books & Tea table to sign books and chat with readers. Friendly booksellers from Oswego, IL!

Despite the weather and the cramped conditions, we did all right. Could’ve done much better, I think, with more space and less wet. Karen Syed has described the situation with the space in her blog at Echelon Press, and you can read my take on it there as well.

For me, one of the highlights is meeting and interacting with the other authors. Old friends Sam Morton, Luisa Buehler, Bob Goldsborough, Marc & son Jim Vun Kannon; new pals Nick & Stacey Valentino, Joel & Cydney Fox (Cydney could sell potatoes to Irishmen!), Beth Solheim, LJ Sellers, Kieryn Nicholas and her fab family, and funny guy Norm Cowie were all a delight to meet. And spending time with Karen is always, ALWAYS a lark.

Will I go back? Right now, I say probably not, but you never know!

It’s all about not wanting to be interrupted. I could sit at the computer for, say, 30 minutes between tasks and start working on a story. But for most writers, 30 minutes just won’t cut it—it takes that long, sometimes, to really warm up to what I’m writing. So I’m reluctant to put fingers on the keyboard unless I have some significant, quality time to write. I just can’t be rushed.

Oh, Yum.

The book launch for the Sisters in Crime/Los Angeles anthology MURDER IN LA LA LAND was just a kick! I believe nine of the 12 authors and two of the three editors made appearances at The Mystery Bookstore in Westwood. The crowd was fun and receptive, the bookstore staff was generous and accommodating. I enjoyed meeting Paul Marks, Terri Nolan, Jane DeLucchio, Kathy Kingston, Donna May, Kathleen Piche and Lenore Carlson, all extraordinary LA LA authors. I’d already had the pleasure of meeting Gabriela Vazquez,  my terrific editor Eric Stone, and it’s always a lark chatting with the witty and behatted Michael Mallory. Also on hand was the charming Naomi Hirahara, another of our fine editors. Missing were authors Jack Maeby (whom I’ve met before), Patricia Morin and Jude McGee—we’ll catch up at a future event. (Jude is off gallivanting around Spain, poor kid!)

Lots of positive feedback on my short entry, “Just Like Jay.” I’m encouraged to start writing shorts again. If I ever get my chores caught up.

Tell us about DARKNESS CORNERED. When did the idea occur to you, and did it come as a complete idea, or did it evolve as you wrote it?

I had the idea for it about a year ago, just before I returned to college for my last semester. When it came, it was a flash; complete and detailed. Some things about it evolved later, for example, Lear’s connection to Kai, and why she was so important. Also, the nuances of Dr. Corvan’s main agenda. Now, he kind of surprised me with the shadows of his character, the depth of his malignant intent.

Who are your mentors? Stephen King came to mind as I browsed your website. How would you compare your work with his or others’ whose work you enjoy?

That’s funny you should mention Stephen King; I seem to be getting a lot of comparison to him these days — which is incredibly flattering to say the least! Actually, while I haven’t read a lot of his stuff, I am a fan of his short stories — he’s really got it. As for others who have influenced me, Tolkien, of course, for his amazing landscapes and Anne McCaffrey for her unique blend of sci-fi and fantasy. I’m sure there are others, I’m just drawing a blank…. (laughs)

As for comparisons, I don’t know that I’m really qualified for that….! Ask me again in a few years….!

Someone else mentioned the “mind of a horror author” as being somewhat different than that of a romance author. Romance authors often allude to falling in love with their characters. That being said, do you ever come up with ideas that scare even you?

Oh, yes. There have been times when I’ve been writing a super-gory or disturbing scene and I just had to keep writing until I got well past it so I could go to sleep at night! In the stories that choose me to tell them, that tends to happen frequently enough. In some ways, I wish it didn’t. (laughs) But on the other hand, if that’s what the story needs, to not address it would be cheating the tale. I’m a firm believer in telling the story the way it needs to be told.

A little off topic: what is an Irish flute? Do you play often? Does (or will) music play a part in your literary work?

An Irish flute is a six-holed wooden flute pitched in the scale of D major. Some of them have keys; mine does, so that makes it fully chromatic. They’re very popular in Irish traditional music, and they have a more ‘throaty,’ more ‘earthy’ sound than your standard Bohem silver flutes that you find in band class. I guess you could liken the Irish flute to the pretty girl who isn’t afraid to work with her hands whereas the silver flute would be the pretty girl who has people do things for her. (laughs)

I used to play quite frequently with a local celtic band where I went to college, but I haven’t picked it up much since I graduated in December. I got a minor in music along with my Bachelor’s degree in English, and while I loved studying music at college, it’s just been nice to take a break from the strict discipline of rehearsals and practice sessions.

Music, strictly speaking, is very important to me in my writing process. Some people have to have silence, others have a special area that they work in. For me, it’s music. If I don’t have music, I don’t write. Now, for music in my work, I don’t get to call the shots there. (laughs) So far, it’s only popped up a couple of times in my stories, and both times it was not planned.

You live on a cattle ranch. Here, again, do you find fodder (no pun intended) for future stories? I think it would be fascinating to read a horror story that unfolds say, on a cattle drive…

Yes, I am a rancher’s wife. You’d be surprised at what ends up in my work from day-to-day activities. The initial scene in “Darkness Cornered” where Lear sits down and begins cleaning his Walther, for example, was something that popped up shortly after my husband and I bought a set of .22 caliber pistols for target shooting. Part of good gun maintenance, especially with pistols, is cleaning and oiling the proper parts. Since firearms are an interest area of mine, I requested that my husband teach me how to clean my own pistol.

Other things that have made it into my work from real life are cooking recipes — I’m writing a story now where the main character makes a tuna casserole in one scene, and she uses my mother’s recipe — and sometimes objects I’ve been familiar with. Gates, cars, lamps, books. The scents of flowers, or the earth on a rainy day. There’s probably also a few things hiding in between the lines that I’m not even aware of. Quite fascinating, really, how the mind takes tangible things and recombines them in ways the characters want.

What’s up next for you? Where would you like your career to go?

I think every author will say this, but I’d like to see my stuff in print for starters. Since I specialize in short stories and short novels, I’d like to see a collection put together for each. Part of this dream centers around my current work(s)-in-progress; I think the short novel I just finished wants to spawn a series, and if it does, it’d be just lovely to see it bound in two-story volumes. As for my career, I want to write. I want to be able to make enough at writing to live comfortably, and that’s all. I’m not interested in ‘wealth.’ I just want comfort.

Where can readers find out more about you, and buy your stories?

Well, my website is located at http://catharsys.wordpress.com/ and my stories are available at the Echelon Press webstore and Fictionwise. I’ve got a couple older works floating around in the ether of the Internet that were published at an ezine called the Gothic Revue, http://www.gothicrevue.com/. I’ve got a full biblio-list on the “stories” page of my website that you can check out if you’re interested in tracking them down.
Heather S. Ingemar: Author of Speculative Fiction
http://catharsys.wordpress.com/

~A big thank you to Heather for her interesting and entertaining interview! Stay tuned for more from the Echelon Authors Virtual Tour!