Please Welcome My Guest, Mystery Author, Jean Henry Mead

Today I'm happy to host Jean Henry Mead, a delightful mystery writer and Internet friend.
 

Jean Henry Mead

 Jean Henry Mead is a mystery/suspense and western historical novelist. She's also an award-winning photojournalist. One of her fortes is interviewing writers, actors, politicians, artists and ordinary people who have accomplished extraordinary things. She began her writing career as a California news reporter/editor/photographer,first in Central California and later in San Diego. Mead later transferred to Casper, Wyoming, to serve as a staff writer for the statewide newspaper. While there she served as editor of In Wyoming Magazine and two small presses. She also freelanced for other magazines, both domestic and abroad, among them the Denver Post.. Her first book was published in 1982. She's since published fourteen novels and nonfiction books.
You can reach Jean at http://www.jeanhenrymead.com/


Writing with Humor

by Jean Henry Mead

I’m not a comedian but I’ve found that adding humor to my books increases sales. In fact, I’ve received several reviews stating that the reviewer hoped I would add more humor in my next novel. A Village Shattered takes place in a central California retirement village where Sew and So club members are dying alphabetically. Nothing humorous about that, but I added a couple of quirky characters to the mix: a love starved widow and a rednecked cassanova, which not only makes it a fun read but enjoyable to write.

The second book in my Logan & Cafferty mystery/suspense series is Dairy of Murder, which takes on a more series tone when Dana Logan and Sarah Cafferty, two widows traveling in their motorhome, learn that Dana’s sister has died and her husband claims it was suicide. Dana knows her sister Georgi, a mystery writer, would never take her own life, so she and her friend Sarah set out to prove it was murder. Along the way they stumble over more bodies and a vicious drug gang. The only humor comes from Sarah’s dialogue and reviewers complained that it wasn’t as funny as A Village Shattered.

My first novel, Escape on the Wind, republished twice and retitled Escape, a Wyoming Historical Novel, was probably my most humorous as well as my best selling novel to date. It features a kidnapped young heiress, Butch Cassidy’s Wild Bunch, and a little known member of the gang, Tom “Peep O’Day, an alcoholic horse thief who nearly takes over the plot because he was so much fun to write about. Good-natured and bungling, he causes the gang to botch the Belle Fourche bank robbery.

I added humor to my first, recently released children’s novel, Mystery of Spider Mountain, as well as the second, The Ghost of Crimson Dawn, which I’m currently writing. I’ve also added humor to my nonfiction books. Casper Country: Wyoming’s Heartland, was researched by spending two years behind a microfilm machine reading 97-years’ worth of newspapers, dating from 1889. I’ll never do that again, but I found some funny incidents to add to the centennial history book, which was eventually used as a textbook at Casper College.

One of the things I remember was an article about three young boys stealing watermelons from a railroad boxcar. They were housed briefly in the county jail during the early 1900s. When police were asked about the case by a reporter, an officer remarked about how good the watermelons tasted. I doubt the young boys had watermelon for dessert.

In my latest novel, Murder on the Interstate, Dana and Sarah discover the body of a beautiful young woman shot and killed along I-40 in northern Arizona while traveling in their motorhome. The killer returns to make sure his victim is dead and disables their RV. A woman trucker then comes to their rescue and they chase the killer in “Big Ruby” MCurdy’s produce truck to record his license number. Along the way Ruby alerts other truckers to keep an eye out for his dark red Dodge pickup and the resultant conversations are humorous. When the two women find themselves trapped in a Hummer during a flash flood, they’re cracking jokes to prevent hysteria.

To research the book, I drove my own 36-foot motorhome along the same mountainous interstate while listening to truckers on my CB radio, so the language is authentic.

                                      To order Murder on the Interstate, go to http://tinyurl.com/3qvolo5.

                                      To learn more about Jean and her books, you're welcome to visit her at her website at http://www.jeanhenrymead.com/.

Please leave a comment below to welcome Jean to Acme Authors Link.

The writing honeymoon is over - or is it?

Over the years - no decades - I’ve struggled to find enough of the right kind of time to write. I’m writing this on the train on my morning commute.

I work full time in a very demanding federal law-enforcement environment and with budget cuts and hiring freezes, those demands seem to be increasing constantly. I’m also actively involved with a number of veteran organizations, and there is the Love Is Murder Conference - and if you don’t know about this conference by now, you should.

Oh, and I teach part-time.

I’ve completed a novel, a screenplay and numerous shorter works of fiction. I’m also near completion on a number of non-fiction works related to tax advice and guidance for writers.

So, I AM writing.

I’ve submitted and been rejected, pitched my work then chickened out on sending it again.

I’ve noticed lately that most of my writing time has been spent on outlining and starting new ideas. I’m back to that!

I had promised myself after getting my daughter moved north for grad school that I would finally be able to complete those many projects begging to be completed. But, I distracted myself with the many things around the house that need to be done, my dog who just turned eighteen, my elderly friend who’s being scammed, and now my garden. I’ve been doing more and more home repairs lately and proud of the professional results.

I know all the right and write things to do to fix this situation with my writing but I think I’ve discovered something about myself. I love the romance of my honeymoon phase of writing.

Yes - honeymoon phase! That’s where I get to experience again and again the adrenaline rush of thinking in my head with new ideas followed by the excitement of writing them down and seeing them play out in my head like a movie. I’m great a visualizing scenes - now if someone could just develop an implant with a USB port so I could have these scenes recorded directly to my laptop.

As I said, I know the right and the write thing to do because I’ve done it with my completed, then submitted, then rejected novel, as well as a screenplay and short stories. I just don’t enjoy the part of writing where I have to do all the hard work of submitting and facing rejection.

The prospects that ventures such as Amazon Create Space and Barnes and Noble’s PubIt! offer are enticing and I definitely have plans to investigate those prospects, but the bottom line when it comes to writing regardless the path you choose is - Writing is really hard work!

Travel by Margot Justes

The price of travel is relative, for me I'd give up a lot to travel, with the exception of coffee and dark chocolate. In that order.

That being said, don't automatically assume that going to Europe or taking a cruise is impossible. A twelve day cruise from Rome going to Greek and Turkish Islands and Israel is expensive. As I said it's relative, but it can be had for $800 plus gratuities and tax, that will run about $1,000 total per person. Remember that it includes all the food you could ever wish for and all your entertainment.

That price is for an inside cabin, but in reality how much time will you spend in your cabin? Not much.

I love the early morning twilight as you come into port, all the lights flickering a warm welcome. I'm on deck to greet the dawn, the coffee is set-up and waiting for me.

By the second day, the waiter already knows there is an early riser who likes skim milk with her coffee and it's there for me. The skim milk offsets the chocolate calories, at least in my mind. The only time you spend in the cabin is when you're sleeping or changing clothes, other than showering of course.

For me, the days at sea are spent, reading, swimming, writing, and walking; there are walking paths set-up on the top deck, so it's just you, the water, a gentle sometimes not so gentle breeze. I prefer quiet contemplation.

For those sea going travelers who want to be continuously entertained, there are dancing lessons, art sales, the full gamut to make sure you're not bored.

When booking a cruise, you make a deposit and the final payment is usually due 60 to 90 days before departure. Up to the time of the final payment, you should watch the prices and if you see your cruise is less expensive, get in touch with your travel agent or the cruise line and you get the applicable less expensive price. I check my cruise price twice a day, morning and evening-they change like air fares.

Have I convinced you yet that it's a possibility?

Next week, I'll cover the airfare.

Till next time.
Margot Justes
www.mjustes.com
A Hotel in Paris

A Goal Not Met ... by DL Larson

On May 20, 2010 I made a challenge: To complete my WIP, Renzo, The Reliant, by May 20, 2011.
My Reward if I succeeded: chocky dessert from whatever restaurant I chose, AND a boat ride with my hubby!

Well, I'm bummed I did not meet my challenge. I have not completed my WIP. I have worked diligently when I worked, but I didn't realize when I made this challenge how many changes were about to happen in my life. My son and his family moving in with us was a surprise and delight, but not in my plans, nor was my mother passing. Plus my daughter unexpectedly deciding to marry was a surprise, not to mention an emotional whirlwind. Mom mode took over more often than writer's mode this last year and that is fine ... real life should take presidence over writing time. I'm a bit disappointed I did not meet my own challenge, but I did make significant strides to reach my writing goal.

I've completed 21 chapters with approximately 43,000 words. I'm close to half way. All but six chapters are typed and roughly edited, so I wasn't completely lazy as a writer. My characters are at a good pace with goals for each in place, the plot is flowing and my mind is ever churning at the question, what next? I'm hoping when I do have writing time, the words will flow and more progress will be made.

I'm not ready to challenge myself again, chaos still reigns at my house. But I have a focus on where my time can be better spent and I have plans to redirect my schedule to make more time to write - no matter what!

My family has always come first before my writing and that will never change. For when is all said and done, the warm hugs of family are more precious than anything else in my life. After all, it is my family who has cheered me on every step of this writing journey.

Til next time ~

DL Larson

Routine Chores by Morgan Mandel

Today I've been busy doing routine chores, starting with fixing breakfast, letting the dog out, checking email, cleaning house.

When you're writing a book, it's a good idea to add some routine chores to make a character seem real. The trick is not to add to many of them, otherwise your book will slow down and become boring.

Another fun thing to do when writing about routine chores is to somehow give them a special significance, such as, by changing one small factor in the process.

A character could be fixing breakfast and the stove would blow up.
Letting the dog out and it starts growling because there's someone lurking in the yard.
Checking emails and finding a sinister message.

What other scenarios can you think for putting a twist on routine chores?




Morgan Mandel




http://morganmandel.blogspot.com/
Killer Career is 99 cents on
Kindle and Smashwords

Westminster Abbey by June

Westminster Abbey has been in the news lately since it was the venue for the royal wedding on April 29th, so I thought I would mention it today.

We visited the Abbey, (which hubby insisted on calling “Westminister” just to aggravate me,) and it was just amazing. Although the television coverage during the wedding was incredible, it was more beautiful in person. What you didn’t get to see on television was the statues and markers identifying all the people buried in the Abbey. According to the folks at the Abbey, there are about 3,300 people buried there. Some even have their own chapels, such as Elizabeth I, Mary Queen of Scots, and writers and poets in Poet’s Corner.

The Abbey is also the home of the Coronation Chair recently seen in the movie The King’s Speech, although I am certain it wasn’t the real one. It also didn’t look like the one I sat in at the film and prop museum!

Westminster Abbey truly is fascinating, however you are not allow to take photo’s inside and although I know you can “sneak a picture”, I just couldn’t bring myself to do it. It is a holy place and deserves the respect.

Have a great week!

Best,

June

http://www.junesproat.com/

Amazing Archeology by Margot Justes

The search is on for the remains of the Mona Lisa, researchers have localized the area where the remains of La Giaconda have rested for centuries. And the dig is on, literally.

It took archeologists about two weeks to find the crypt in a deserted convent; they used ground penetrating radar, the same type of radar used for military purposes, only this time it was art research-pure and simple.

The hunt is on for Lisa Gherardini Del Giacondo, she is believed to have been the model for the Mona Lisa. The crypt was located underground in the St. Ursula convent in Florence. When they removed about a foot of concrete they found ancient bricks that were 35 inches wide, along with two crypts they found various pieces of pottery and old bones. The crypts are as yet untouched, that will take another few days.

The archeologist believe that one of the tombs contains the remains of La Giaconda, as she is called in Italy. That in itself is remarkable, but there is more, they will compare the DNA with that of her children and hopefully be able to reconstruct her face and match Leonardo's painting.

The centuries old mystery of who was the Mona Lisa may soon be solved. All the theories and intellectual debate that continued for ages may soon stop, but is the identity of the model going to dilute and diminish the enigma that is La Giaconda? Or will it add more mystique and perpetuate the magic of Leonardo's masterpiece?

Till next time.
Margot Justes
www.mjustes.com
A Hotel in Paris