The Rule of Threes

 By C.L. Phillips

"Knock. Knock."

"Who's there?"

"Fiction novelist."

Fixin' novelist who?

"Not fixin'.  Fiction."

Raise your hand if you spend more time "fixin'" your work than anything else. We start out with high hopes for our concept only to realize creating the story requires more rewriting than we ever imagined. And does anything suck the life out of you faster than rewriting?

So what do successful novelists do? They work on more than one project at a time.  But you already knew that. Many people say the only difference between a writer and a published author is the published author never quits. But I don't believe that.  I believe published authors master the Writer's Lifecycle and the Rule of Three.

What is the Writer's Lifecycle?  Let's make it simple - four stages, each with entry and exit criteria.  Stage 1 is Storyshaping. Stage 2 is Content Development. Stage 3 is Polishing. Stage 4 is Querying.

You might have a dozen ideas floating around in your head. These are Stage 1 ideas, the concepts you play with and eventually shape into a project you want to move forward. Anything with an outline or more than 5,000 words is a Stage 2 project, one where you develop the content. After you have a completed draft, or better yet, a full second draft, you have a project in Stage 3, the part of the pipeline where you rewrite and rewrite.  Maybe you get reader feedback.  You take a Stage 3 project to workshops and polish the daylights out of the first fifty pages. In Stage 4, you steel your nerves, take a stiff drink of your favorite liquid courage and query until you are successful.

 Here's another way to view the Writer's Lifecycle:

Stage 1 :  An idea; a story concept
Stage 2 :  A story concept with an outline or 5,000 words
Stage 3 :  A completed first or second draft, something you would take to a critque group
Stage 4 :  A query-ready novel, synopsis, and query letter

Stage 1 is your idea sandbox.  You might have a hundred ideas in Stage 1.  But how many of those ideas are you willing to develop? One thing is certain, you won't develop all of these ideas at once, so the other three stages are dedicated to real production.

The Rule of Three says, "Have at least three projects in production."  That means have at least one project in Stage 2, one in Stage 3, and one in Stage 4.  Why?

Because every business has a product pipeline.  Nobody puts all their eggs in one basket, and even if they do, they have new products coming to the market.  Did Facebook claim success when they shipped the first version of their product?  No.  Did James Patterson stop with his first series of books?  No.  And for an author with one series, do they stop with one book?  No.  They keep developing projects.  They keep pushing products into the marketplace.

Businesses either grow or die.  If you don't have a product pipeline, you are doomed to certain death, or you have a wonderful little hobby.  Me, I want a writing career.  This means I must think about my writing projects like a business.  Always have something in development, test, and production.

What would happen if you divided your efforts across different projects, each in a different Stage of the Writer's Lifecycle?  You could easily and intelligently discuss the status of each of your projects to a publishing professional or agent.  You could recharge your creative juices by working on different projects simultaneously without guilt.  You could measure progress and success incrementally rather than reporting the number of rejected queries.

Writers write.  Successful writers keep writing even after an agent or editor says yes.  Outrageously successful writers have a way to spread their precious creative capital across multiple projects.  Do you?  Post your system in the comments for this article. Let's collaborate and find a way to help each other move forward.

The Rule of Three. Try it. Does it work for you?

Write on!
________

C.L Phillips writes mystery novels while nestled under a hundred-year live oak tree in downtown Austin. Except in August. C.L writes about the the gap between what people want and what they actually do. Broccoli or chocolate chip cookies, anyone? Check out her web site: http://www.clphillips.com/ or find her onTwitter: @clphillips787

Video Forensics -- Just what IS it?

By Edith Maxwell

One of the key tools used to solve the crimes in SPEAKING OF MURDER, my completed (and as-yet unpublished) mystery is video forensics. My protagonist's boyfriend works as a civilian video forensics expert at the local police station. The software he uses is dTective from Ocean Systems, which was developed by Grant Fredericks and is used by police departments around the country to clarify surveillance video and present video evidence in court.

The dTective software just happens to sit on top of Avid Media Composer, for which I wrote technical documentation for 14 years. That's an application for editing film and video used to create many award-winning movies and television shows. Hmm, coincidence? You decide.

I knew I wanted to feature this software in my books. After I was laid off my job at Avid, I finally had time to research it, and to start writing the first in the Speaking of Mystery series featuring Quaker Linguistics professor, Lauren Rousseau. I was fortunate to be able to consult with the Raynham, Massachusetts police department about the dTective program.

Grant Fredericks  generously pointed me to Chief Lou Pacheco of Raynham.  Chief Pacheco developed the Regional Electronic and Computer Crime Task Force (REACCT) and was one of the earliest users of the dTective technology in the country. Now thousands of agencies have followed his lead and use it to help solve the most serious crimes committed in our nation.


Chief Pacheco and his video analyst, Tim, kindly spent a morning explaining the software and how they use it. They gave me a tour of the station and answered my many questions. The chief wanted to know who was going to play him in the movie. I laughed and said I had to write the book first. Kelli Hutchings, the video forensic analyst of the Bristol County District Attorney's office, also spent a half day with me, demonstrating the software and talking about how she uses it.

It was a fascinating look into some of the inner workings of the criminal justice system. I hope I've done justice to their expertise. (Kelli recently reviewed the relevant sections of my manuscript and said I did a good job. Whew!)

Several of the things you can do with this software:

·    Apply a standard to see how tall someone is
·    Lighten a dark image of a license plate
·    Zoom in on a tattoo or other unique physical characteristic
·    Compare a fingerprint left on a counter to one taken after arrest

It's very cool stuff.  Thanks for letting me stop by and share what I know about this technology. Click here to watch a video of just what this software offers.
-------------------------
Edith Maxwell, a software technical writer in the video-editing arena, lives on the Massachusetts north shore. Her short story, "Reduction in Force,” will appear in Thin Ice (Level Best Books) later this fall; she has three other published short stories, as well. A mother, world traveler, PhD in Linguistics, and Guppy, Edith is on the board of Sisters in Crime, New England, and also tends a vegetable garden and four cats. She blogs weekly at "Speaking of Mystery": http://edithmaxwell.blogspot.com/

There's No Such Thing As A Bad Read ... Right?

By Katherine Hall Page

I cannot remember a time when I didn’t know how to read, or a time when I wasn’t enthralled by reading. Nose in a book, curled up in a chair, my mother would tell me to go outside and play, which I did—taking my book with me. If I’m caught in a long grocery line without a paperback tucked in my purse, I get a bit panicky and start reaching for whatever is closest to hand—Soap Opera Digest, Say Goodbye to Cellulite or one of the tabloids screaming “Brangelina Adopts Space Alien Triplets”.

In my book, there’s no such thing as a Bad Read.

There is, however, a Good Read. Neither genre, nor length, matter. What matters are the written words and their ability to take you inside yourself and, at the same time, far away. Summer means more leisure to read for me as I’ve usually submitted my next book in the late spring. This summer I’ve been reading a great number of wonderful British crime writers, having attended Crimefest in Bristol, England in May Colin Dexter was the guest of honor and I’ve been rereading him, as well as discovering a few of his I had somehow missed. Other British writers: Cath Staincliffe’s The Kindest Thing (it may be the best book I’ve read this year), also Matt Hilton’s books and A.D. Scott’s debut, A Small Death in the Great Glen. I stopped in London and went to Persephone Press’s bookstore and walked away with some of their treasures: vintage novels by authors like Nancy Mitford and Dorothy Whipple (available online from their web site). Vintage mysteries are always Good Reads, and I have a stack from the Rue Morgue Press in Colorado (also a great web site).

2010 is the 50th anniversary of the publication of To Kill A Mockingbird. I reread it and a fascinating biography, Mockingbird by Charles J. Shields that came out several years ago. It answers the question always asked about why Harper Lee never wrote another book.

Summer is also a good time for a certain type of book—family sagas—I’m reading William Martin’s Annapolis—and books filled with humor and colorful characters. I lean toward Dorothy Cannell, Dorothea Benton Frank, and Mary Kay Andrews.

Because I am interested in all things culinary, I read Anthony Bourdain’s new book, Medium Raw and am halfway through Heat An Amateur’s Adventures As Kitchen Slave, Line Cook, Pasta-Maker, And Apprentice To A Dante-Quoting Butcher In Tuscany by Bill Buford.

I live in Maine part of the year and wait for the summer church and library book sales that generate operating funds or money for special projects like a new roof. This is where I pick up vintage children’s books and cookbooks.  I particularly like cookbooks from the 1940’s and 50’s, as well as the ones community groups put together. I came across one published by the Oceanville, Maine Baptist Church for their 200th anniversary a number of years ago. Mixed in with recipes for Salmon Wiggle and Mother’s Molasses Cookies, I came across this prayer:

Dear God:
I thank you for a great day.
I have not gossiped.
I have not lost my temper.
I have not said anything I regret.
I have not had any impure thoughts.
I have not argued with anyone.
I have not disappointed my family
I have not taken Your name in vain.
But in a moment I’m going to get out of bed,
And then I’m really going to need Your help.
In Jesus’ Name.
Amen

No matter what one’s belief, or lack thereof, I think we can all agree, this is a Good Read!
======================

Katherine Hall Page is the Agatha Award winning author of the Faith Fairchild mystery series. An amateur sleuth, Faith is also a caterer, minister’s wife, and mother. The 19th in the series, The Body in the Gazebo (Wm. Morrow) will be published in early April. Page’s first cookbook, Have Faith in Your Kitchen (Orchises Press) is out now. Katherine welcomes visitors to her web site and enjoys comments from readers: www.katherine-hall-page.org

Two Steps Up, One Step Back -- My Road to Publication

By Lisa Black

My writing career began one night when my mother, who had apparently exhausted her repertoire that particular evening, told me to make up my own bedtime story. It involved a prince, a princess, and a bat (as in the animal). It was my first thriller, the suspense of danger and, of course, the all-important romantic subplot.

Later on I became a prolific letter-writer, and in letters to my favorite cousin I would always include a story—storyboarded with little stick figures (I couldn’t draw). I don’t know how old I was, but I remember that a first-class stamp was 8 cents. It wasn’t until I saw Star Wars in high school that I began to write serious stories—serious meaning they didn’t include pictures. Today they call that fan fiction. To me it was simply another artifact of my serious crush on Harrison Ford.

However, also in high school I visited Washington DC and fell in love with the city, meaning I loved the monuments and the buildings and the marble, not what people did there. What people actually did there bored me silly. I should have been an architect but instead I majored in political science, so that I graduated with no marketable skills whatsoever except typing. I became a secretary, which meant I sat in front of a word processor all day. So what the heck, I’ll write a novel.

I wrote six.

By the third book I actually deigned to offer it to an agent, though I felt sure I didn’t really need one. (I opened my query letter with “I don’t think I need an agent….” I’m sure that scored two points in the circular file in record time.)

After the sixth book I decided I not only needed an agent, I needed a new day job, so I went back to school and got a degree in biology, specifically to go into forensics. I wound up with a pretty cool job but no time to write until my husband shanghaied me to southwest Florida. Now I had no job, no friends and no family. I started writing again just to stay sane, and sensibly applied my new forensic expertise to my mystery stories.

I kept querying. I was quite organized about it—former secretary and all—and had a 6 page single spaced Excel spreadsheet of agents, addresses and pertinent facts along with columns for date mailed and any response returned. With my 9th book—Trace Evidence—I decided to mix it up and start with the Z’s instead of the A’s. Just for fun. Meanwhile, back at the ranch: CSI premiered. Everyone began to look for the next Patricia Cornwell.

Then one momentous day my agent—a K—called and asked to represent me and I said okay, without discussion or negotiation. (I had already vetted via Google.) I did not know her, I had no sort of ‘in’ with her at all. I was just another query letter she received. We hashed out Trace Evidence for eight months before she auctioned it to Hyperion in a two-book deal.
And I lived happily ever after?

Yes, to some extent. But there was still the occasional pothole. 

I wrote most of the second book while we were still working on the first one, and, naive soul that I am, assumed the public had had enough of serial killers killing beautiful young women. What was to be my second published novel involved a dead child and a suburban household. It did have problems, I’m not denying that. So finally the publisher said we really need you to write something else. I had been gathering ideas for what became Unknown Means as the third novel, so I simply moved it up to the number two slot. I wrote the first draft in 3½ months, 4000 words at a time. It was grueling. Unknown Means got great reviews but it was too late. I was not to be the next Patricia Cornwell.

I trod on. I’d already written the next book and my wonderful agent and I loved it, but we knew that even if publishers loved it as well, they would make decisions based solely on the sales figures from Trace Evidence.  Upon her advice I changed my name (from Elizabeth Becka to Lisa Black) and the names of my characters. She sold it to William Morrow (Harper Collins) and I couldn’t be happier with them.

Takeover got a big push, Evidence of Murder has held its own, and Trail of Blood is looking good. But what would have been the sixth book? My agent didn’t like it. The plot didn’t come together as well as it needed to, and she didn’t think meth addicts made sympathetic victims. (After all, everyone in a book has to be young and rich and sexy or no one will care that they’re dead!)

So I threw it out, and started over. Again.

Because even with two steps up and one step back, I’m still moving forward. 
==============================
Lisa Black spent the five happiest years of her life in a morgue, working as a forensic scientist in the trace evidence lab until her husband dragged her to southwest Florida. Now she toils as a certified latent print analyst and CSI at the local police department by day and writes forensic suspense by night. Her books have also been published in the United Kingdom, the Netherlands, Germany, France, Spain and Japan. Her fifth book, Trail of Blood, involves the real-life Torso Killer, who terrorized Cleveland during the dark days of the Great Depression. For more information visit her website: www.lisa-black.com.

Just who was Anna Katherine Green?

By Leslie Shortlidge

Pennsylvania politics took a back seat to mystery one day in 1878.  Who, asked the state’s legislators, was the real author of the taut, gritty mystery novel The Leavenworth Case? Surely “Anna Katharine Green” was a pen name for someone of the male persuasion. since the story of murder and subsequent detection was considered “manifestly beyond a woman’s powers.”*

The elected officials of PA were wrong. Anna Katharine Green was indeed Anna Katharine Green. Born in Brooklyn in 1846, her father, first reader, and first editor, James Wilson Green, was a lawyer. One has to assume that young Anna was paying quite a bit of attention to the stories her father brought home from work, or been sufficiently interested in criminal law to conduct her own investigation into police procedure and criminal trials. The Leavenworth Case, which was a huge success, immediately assumes a form that 21st century readers know and love: a body, a post-mortem, a locked room, a potential murder weapon, the testimony of witnesses, family secrets. Green puts all of these now-familiar tropes into play very quickly, commanding the reader’s attention and exciting curiosity.

She also introduces the reader to perhaps the most important trope, and that is the canny but eccentric sleuth in the personage of Mr. Gryce, who confounds our expectations from the get-go, as the novel’s narrator explains: 

“And here let me say that Mr. Gryce, the detective, was not the thin, wiry individual with the piercing eye you are doubtless expecting to see. On the contrary, Mr. Gryce was a portly, comfortable personage with an eye that never pierced, that did not even rest on you. If it rested anywhere, it was always on some insignificant object in the vicinity, some vase, inkstand, book, or button.”

The dialogue is sharp – no excessive tag lines clutter up the rapid back-and-forth of these post-bellum Brooklynites. Human nature is on display in the personages of the household staff and the jurors at the inquest. Love shows up right away, unbidden and unhelpful. Secrets are choked back by those unwilling to reveal them. Glances are exchanged.

Green wrote at least 40 other books, and also created detectives Violet Strange (isn’t that the best name ever?) and Amelia Butterworth, characters who perhaps influenced Nancy Drew and Miss Marple.

Judge for yourself the importance of Green’s work:  The first ten people to comment on this blog will be entered to win the just-issued Penguin edition of The Leavenworth Case.
===================
Leslie Shortlidge is a Guppie and lives in Columbus, Ohio. You can follow her on Twitter, where her handle is Bookorama. Most of her posts are exciting updates on her word count, using the #amwriting hash tag.

Organize the blogs you read with Google Reader

by Lisa J. Jackson

Do you follow several blogs? Do you find that keeping up with a lot of blogs to be time consuming? Google Reader can help.

Google Reader is one of many helpful Google tools that help people with their productivity. It is an automated interface that organizes your subscriptions to news sites and blogs in one place.

You can easily have the news and updates on subjects of interest delivered to your e-mail. You can read through them at your convenience. I find it just as easy to log into Google Reader and view unread blogs and news directly from there.

1. Subscribe to the news feeds and blogs you want, then read the new postings and updates whenever it’s convenient for you. If some content doesn’t interest you after a while, simply unsubscribe.

2. It’s easy to keep track of the feeds you have already read and those you haven’t. Google Reader shows unread items in bold.

3. Whether the site or blog you follow updates daily, weekly, or monthly, you’ll get the notices of new posts right after they happen.

 4. You can also search for new and interesting content through Google Reader without taking hours of surfing the Internet. Let Google Reader do the work for you; even sort blogs and news into categories/folders for easier reference.

If you’re on the go a lot, well, you can access Google Reader from your phone, from any computer, or add a gadget to iGoogle.

If you already have a Google account, you’re ready to go. Sign in to Google Reader with your Google username and password.

Otherwise, getting a (free) Google account is painless. Go to Google Reader and sign up on the spot. Help for Google Reader can be found here.

Google strives to make its interfaces as user-friendly as possible. There are help files and step-by-step instructions available to get you set up and proactive.

If you’d like a hands-on introduction to Google Reader, check out the Google Reader Tour. You can also visit the Newbies Guide to get a handy walk-through of the basics of Google Reader (including shortcuts and scripts) and RSS feeders.

I find it incredibly handy to see all the unread blog posts in one spot. I’m still floored by how much time it saves me on a daily basis.

If you haven’t discovered Google Reader, why not give it a try. If you are already using Google Reader, have you discovered anything you’d like to share with our blog readers?

========================

Lisa J. Jackson is an editor, author, book coach, consultant, Big Sister, cat owner, and chocolate lover. She writes fiction as Lisa Haselton, has a blog for book reviews and author interviews, and is on the staff of The Writer’s Chatroom where she gets to chat with writing professionals on a weekly basis — and you can too!   Visit her web site!

Mystery and Writing Group Blogs

By Joyce Tremel

This is our first installment of essential blogs for mystery writers covers group blogs. Note that this list only touches on a few of the many wonderful group blogs out there. We will list more in the future. I promise!

Working Stiffs—“Where Crime Writers Talk About Life, Work, and Murder.” Created by Pittsburgh SinC members, it has expanded to include writers from all over. I’m one of the founding members and the current blog administrator.

Poe’s Deadly Daughters—“A Blog For Mystery Lovers.” Posts on PDD are an interesting mix if craft and the writing life and often features visiting authors on the weekends.

Murderati—“Mysteries, Murder and Marketing.” One of the first group mystery blogs. It features a nice mix of craft, books, and personal essays.

The Lipstick Chronicles—“Just keep reading and no one gets hurt.” TLC has undergone many changes over the years but has never lost their focus of entertaining readers. Ask a long time TLCer what IOCHFTS means.

The Kill Zone—“Insider perspectives from today’s hottest thriller and mystery writers.” This is another blog that mixes posts on craft with entertaining stories of the writing life.

Criminal Minds—“A virtual panel.” This blog is a little different. Each blogger answers the same question posed to them that week.

The Cozy Chicks—“Cozy up to some killer books.” The Cozy Chicks post about the writing life. They say, “Grab a cup of coffee, pull up a chair and join the conversation.”

Jungle Red Writers—“Writing well is the best revenge.” You’ll recognize all these Sisters in Crime. They blog about writing—and everything else.

Hey, There’s a Dead Guy in the Living Room—“Mystery writing from idea to bookshelf.” Nice mix of posts from writers, booksellers, and even a slithery agent.

Killer Hobbies—These writers write about… what else? Hobbies of course!

The LadyKillers—“An unsuitable blog for a woman…” A blog for readers and writers of crime fiction.

Can you think of any other group blogs? Feel free to share them with us in the comments section.

(Fear not, we'll feature single blogs in the coming weeks.)

Don't miss tomorrow's post, when Lisa J. Jackson tells you how to organize the blogs you read!

Liar, Liar--Pants On Fire!

By Wendy Lyn Watson

Like most writers, I was a reader first, so the prospect of sharing “good reads” with the mystery-writing community thrilled me.  But the minute I said “yes,” the enormity of my task hit me.  How on earth could I whittle down my mental list of killer fiction into a handful of recommendations?

I decided right off the bat that I couldn’t make recommendations in my own genre (cozy mysteries), because I’d have to start with “Hey, if you like cozies, you should check out my new Mystery a la Mode, SCOOP TO KILL, which is out TODAY!”  That would be plain ol’ tacky.  And then I’d have to recommend all my talented friends, and I’d be sure to leave someone off the list, feelings would be hurt, words exchanged ... you get the drift.

Looking farther a field into the darker realms of mystery and crime fiction, my first impulse was to share a book I’ve only recently discovered: DECEPTION, by Denise Mina  (published in the UK under the title Sanctum). The book isn’t new (2005), but I found it as I was plowing eagerly through Mina’s backlist. It was new to me, and perhaps to you, too.

The premise is delicious. Forensic psychiatrist Susie Harriot stands convicted of murdering serial killer Andrew Gow, whom she was treating in a Scottish prison, and Gow’s wife. Lachlan Harriot, Susie’s stay-at-home-daddy and would-be-novelist husband, narrates his own investigation into Susie’s shadowy relationship with Gow, an investigation that allows Lachlan into his wife’s most private space (her office) against her wishes.

Yummy, right?

The cherry on top, though, is Mina’s use of my all-time-favorite literary device: the unreliable narrator. As readers, we depend on Lachlan to perceive and pass along the information we need to suss out the real story of what happened between Susie and the Gows. Yet Lachlan is not neutral in this tale. His relationship with the crime is complicated by his complex relationship with his wife. We are left to untangle whether the story he tells is fact, delusion, or outright deception.

If you haven’t read Denise Mina yet, I highly recommend her entire catalogue, but Deception holds a special place in my heart.

=========================

Wendy Lyn Watson writes deliciously funny cozy mysteries with a dollop of romance.  Her Mysteries a la Mode (I Scream, You Scream, Scoop to Kill, and A Parfait Murder (June, 2010)) feature amateur sleuth Tallulah Jones, who solves murders in between scooping sundaes.  While she does not commit--or solve--murders in real life, Wendy can kill a pint of ice cream in nothing flat.  She's also passionately devoted to 80s music, Asian horror films, and reality TV.  Be sure to check out her web site.  Wendy also blogs with the Killer Characters on every 3rd of the month.

Create Your Own Yellow Brick Road

By C.L. Phillips

Is there only one yellow-brick road to publication? Methinks not. Just as there is a title for every reader, a car for every driver, there is a path to publication for every writer...who doesn't quit. Sylvia Dickey Smith, winner of the Barbara Burnett Smith Mentoring Authors Foundation Sage Award Winner for 2010, proves where there's a will, there's a way.

Starting in 2006, Sylvia queried a hundred agents. Not one nibble. In 2007, she found an agent who subsequently went out of business. Weary, discouraged, and determined never to be self-published, Sylvia reset her sights on small publishers. She landed a deal, sans agent, with LL Dreamspace. Fast forward three years, and she's published three mysteries - Dance on His Grave, Deadly Sins Deadly Secrets, Dead Wreckoning, and one cookbook Sassy Southern Classy Cajun.

What's unique about Sylvia's journey is how her writing evolved. She's moved into women's historical fiction with her latest book, A War of Her Own, a project she started during NaNoWriMo 2008, soon to be released in September 2010 by CrickHollow Books (www.crickhollowbooks.com). Again, she didn't slow down to find an agent. Instead, she targeted small publishers, negotiated her own contract, and pushed forward with the zeal of a tiger on steroids. Sylvia said, "I came into this world feet-first and left-handed. I'm not waiting for anybody to tell me what to do." Sylvia attacks the writing business like a business, and she is her own entrepreneur.

What I admire about Sylvia's journey is her ability to make decisions that are right for her, and her ability to execute. She created a plan. When the plan didn't work, she changed. When the changes spurred personal growth, she trusted her inner guidance and a new voice emerged. She's following this new voice into a new area, women's fiction. Like any artist, she's experimenting, letting each project or novel play a role in the growth of her craft, her self, and her dreams. When asked why she created A War of Her Own, Sylvia said, "In the 1940's, women were left on their own when they had problems. And women do what they have to do come hell or high water. I wanted to write about that kind of woman." In War of Her Own, the main character, Bea Meade gives a new meaning to personal strength as her life evolves from that of a young, sheltered wife and mother to a divorced working woman, meeting the world on her own terms with a pragmatic view of men, family, and religion.

There are many ways to measure success. Sylvia creates her own measures. Do you? On your path to publication, do you have a plan for evolving your command of craft? Are you building the internal self image to sustain you during difficult times? Do you nurture experiments that could be the key to your future success? Sylvia taught me that the answers will be different for every writer. What's important is that you honestly ask the questions of yourself, and Write Down the ANSWERS. Make a plan. Get out there. Engage the market. Make adjustments. And as always...

Write on!

=======

C.L Phillips writes mystery novels while nestled under a hundred-year live oak tree in downtown Austin. Except in August. C.L writes about the the gap between what people want and what they actually do. Broccoli or chocolate chip cookies, anyone? Check out her web site: www.clphillips.com or find her onTwitter: @clphillips787

The Saturday Your-Turn Forum

or

What Do You Want To See On This Blog?

We're still in the process of revamping the Sister In Crime blog, and the Sinc Blog Army* wants to know what you'd like to see on the SinC into the depths of Mystery blog and if you like the changes that have been made in the past couple of months?


Would you like to see more of the following?

A Sister (or Brother) in Crime author? Name one (or more).

Your favorite (or maybe less favorite) writing hint?

Publicity or promotions that have worked for you? (Or didn’t work!)

Interesting websites, or any social media?

Anything else?

Send us a message in the Comments section. We’ll do our best to find the answers you might want, the authors you want to read about, and a few new tricks you’d like to try.

Our blog will continue to promote the Sisters in Crime strategic plan. This includes

1. Advocacy, monitoring, and reporting,

2. Professional education and career development, and

3. Membership growth, networking, and forums for members.

==========================================

* Just who is the SinC Blog Army? The people in the background who keep this blog rolling by trolling for content, contacting authors about writing for the blog, and putting articles together for your information and enjoyment.

We are:

Janet Bolin
Jessie Crockett
Julie Hennrikus
Norma Huss
Linda Lovely
C.L. Phillips
Terri Ponce
Joyce Tremel
and our SinC Blog Promoter, Polly Iyer

We're still looking for volunteers, too. If you'd like to help, please contact Lorraine Bartlett at LLB@LLBartlett.com -- thanks!

IS "KINDLING" FOR YOU -- Part II

The Nuts and Bolts

by CJ Lyons

Being a cyber-klutz, I thought this would be the most difficult part of self e-publishing, but it actually was quite easy (if a bit tedious and time-consuming).

All the major e-pub sites have guidelines available.  All you need to do is to follow them.

The major e-pub sites I used initially were: Amazon, Scribd, and Smashwords.  I also loaded my books onto Lulu after several readers requested an avenue where they could purchase print copies. (Note: since books printed by POD technology are more expensive, I kept the price on the print books as low as I could, so I essentially make no profit from these sales, they’re more to generate good-will.)

The charge to authors to use these sites' basic services is nothing.  All provide more customized services (such as purchasing ISBN numbers, marketing packages, etc) for a fee.

Step one: create an account at the sites you’ll be using.  Through this account you’ll upload your books, track sales, make any revisions to your final product, and, at some sties, interact with customers.

Step two: read each site’s guide to formatting and follow it closely.  For all the sites I worked with, this basically came down to stripping all formatting from a Word doc of your manuscript and then exporting it in the format the e-publishing site requires. 

I found the Smashwords guide to be very thorough and in-depth with a lot of trouble-shooting tips, so I start there, transforming my Word doc to a document suitable for Smashwords and then simply export it as a html file for uploading to Amazon.

This step is the most time-consuming because you need to go through every line of the manuscript ensuring that no errant formatting remains behind and that the resulting manuscript is readable. 

Step three is almost as equally tiresome as step two.  You need to upload the re-formatted manuscript to each site and proofread it (yes, again!) to ensure that nothing is lost in translation.

Step four: add cover art, a description, tags, and set a price.  This is where using more than one platform comes in handy. 

I start by publishing my books on Smashwords because if they are qualified for their Premium Catalogue, then they'll be distributed to a variety of channels including the Sony, Barnes and Noble, iBooks, and if you want, Amazon Kindle stores.  You can also inexpensively purchase an ISBN for each book. 

Smashwords also has an easy to use coupon generator, which is perfect if you're trying to target certain groups and want to measure your success. 

I preferred to distribute to all of the channels through Smashwords except Kindle—that I did myself.  I wanted the ability to control the Kindle channel myself since I knew it would be the one with the most sales.

Step five: Hit publish and you’re done!

Additional considerations for authors with previously published works.  There are many companies who will "package" your books for you, converting them from electronic files or even scanning the actual book pages to create an editable electronic file.  Some also provide services such as editing, formatting, cover art creation, and publishing to a variety of e-stores.

Do your research and compare prices.  Many will give you references to check.  Also, make sure that you do not sign any of your author's rights away when you contract with these services.

What about the money?

Some authors may choose to give their work away for free in order to gain new readers or as a promotion tied to other books.  But most of us will be hoping to earn some income from our e-published books.

Joe Konrath believes that the price point you set is the key.  “Make your books impulse purchases by keeping the cost low.”

When I first self e-published, I experimented with a variety of prices ranging from $1.99 to $3.99 a book.  I found no real difference in the average sales on Smashwords, but the $2.99 books were the best selling on Amazon.

Since Amazon has recently increased their royalty rate for authors to 70% of books priced $2.99-$9.99 (with some caveats, be sure to read their agreement for more information), I revised all the prices on my Kindle books to $2.99.

One thing I have noticed during my eight months of e-pubbing is that Amazon out sells all other formats by at least 10:1.  Yes, those Kindle readers, love, love, love to buy books!!!

Even though the Smashword sales lag behind Amazon’s, I’ll continue to use them because of the ability to distribute to the other major e-stores such as Apple. Plus, Smashwords offers inexpensive ISBNs as well as the ability to generate coupons.

The bottom line

It’s not a huge amount of money, but I’m on track to make more in a year than I would if I took any of the offers from NYC publishers that I’d received for these particular manuscripts.  All with no expenses incurred other than my time and a few dollars for the copyright, ISBNs, and the stock art I used in the cover design.

As Konrath says, “E-books aren't a substitute for print books. Your results may vary. But this is a very exciting time to be an author. It's free to post books on Kindle. For the first time in history, we can potentially reach a wide readership, all by ourselves.

Just make sure you're giving those readers something they'll enjoy.”

I firmly agree.  In fact, I plan to upload my first "free" Amazon book in the near future as a promotion to help boost sales of my new release.  I also plan to experiment with using a penname for manuscripts that don't fit my brand.

Self e-publishing has its place in an author’s career path, whether to keep a backlist alive, to try new genres and markets, to use as a promotional tool in conjunction with traditionally published books, or to generate a little income on the side.

Thanks for reading!

CJ

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Resources:

JA Konrath’s blog, A Newbie’s Guide to Publishing

US Government Copyright Office

Amazon’s Digital Text Platform

Scribd

Smashwords

Lulu

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As a pediatric ER doctor, CJ Lyons has lived the life she writes about.  In addition to being an award-winning medical suspense author, CJ is a nationally known presenter and keynote speaker. 

Her first novel, LIFELINES (Berkley, March 2008), received praise as a "breathtakingly fast-paced medical thriller" from Publishers Weekly, was reviewed favorably by the Baltimore Sun and Newsday, named a Top Pick by Romantic Times Book Review Magazine, and became a National Bestseller.  Her award-winning, critically acclaimed Angels of Mercy series (LIFELINES, WARNING SIGNS, and URGENT CARE) is available now and the series finale, CRITICAL CONDITION, hits stores November, 2010.  Her newest project is as co-author of a new suspense series with Erin Brockovich.  To learn more about CJ and her work, go to http://www.cjlyons.net/.

IS "KINDLING" FOR YOU? (Part I)

by CJ Lyons

The publishing industry is in an era of upheaval, forcing many authors to flex their entrepreneur muscles, searching for new avenues of income and ways to keep their books in the public's eye.

One way of doing this is to self e-publish your backlist or other books that you hold the rights to.  With more and more readers embracing e-books and e-books becoming the fastest growing segment of publishing, the idea of cutting out the middle-men and keeping profits for ourselves is tempting.

Here are a few things to think about before walking the path of electronic self-publication:

Why self e-publish?

Like many authors, once I was firmly established with NYC publishers, I never thought about e-publishing or self-publishing, much less doing both!

But I found myself with four manuscripts that were all previously in the hands of NYC publishers but that for a variety of reasons never made it to publication. Then I saw a blog by multi-published thriller author J.A. Konrath discussing his own experiment with electronic self-publishing.  His argument was logical, the numbers impressive, but I was still skeptical.

I wanted these books to find an audience but I didn't want to tie them to contracts I might later regret, especially as these four novels were all romantic suspense/thrillers and my career has moved to more mainstream suspense/thriller.  So, I decided to perform my own self-publishing experiment.

I realized that I could use these books as promotional products as well as money-makers.  Since I was in control of when they were released, how long they were available, and what their price was, I had a greater freedom than I do with my traditionally published works.

This turned out to be an unexpected bonus as by the time I had them formatted and ready for publication it was December, 2009.  Then a few weeks later the earthquake in Haiti hit.  Since I'm a pediatric ER doctor as well as a thriller novelist, I wanted to raise money for Doctors Without Borders.

What better way than using my experimental self e-pubbed books?

I sent out a newsletter and posted on my website and a few blogs that I was donating the proceeds of my Kindle sales for the month of February to DWB.  I chose the Kindle format simply because it is exceptionally easy to track Kindle sales on a daily, weekly, or monthly basis through my Amazon's DTP (digital text platform) account.

What I discovered was: Kindle readers read....a lot!  I ended up raising over $1600 for DWB, which translated to almost 1700 books sold in one month on Kindle.

Possible Pitfalls

Anyone deciding to self-publish should have a good grasp of their target audience.  You want to build an audience who will stay with you and help spread the word of your books--and that means making a promise to always deliver a high quality read.

Konrath agrees.  “E-books are a perfect place to experiment and try new things, and since you own your rights, you aren't tied down to any particular genre, and you can always delete something that isn't working.

But whatever you put on Kindle should be perfect. No errors, well-edited, great covers, perfectly formatted. This should be your best work, presented in the best way possible.”

In other words, just as in mainstream publishing, self e-publishing is still all about the reader. 

It's not about clearing your closet of dusty manuscripts just because you can.  Unless you plan on giving your work away for free, your goal is to attract paying customers.  Which means the books you self e-publish need to be just as good as any book a NYC publisher is selling.

If you have a backlist that you own the rights to, they've already been professionally edited,  you're good to go.  Do be aware that publishers own the cover art, so you'll need to create a new cover for your e-book.

If you're planning to publish a book that hasn't been previously published, make certain it is professionally edited.  The four books I chose for my experiment were all edited prior to my self-publication--three by NYC editors (before their road to publication went astray) and one by a professional freelance editor.  Do not rely solely on your critique partners or your Great Aunt Martha who gushes to her bridge club about your writing! 

Remember, not only are you competing against NYT bestsellers, you're also selling a product to a consumer.  If you expect to win their hard earned money--and more importantly, their time, attention, and future sales loyalty--then you need to create a worthy product.

When using a previously unpublished book, you'll want to register a copyright (I did all four in one electronic batch using the US Copyright office's online registration) and include a copyright notice in the front of your book.  You may also want to purchase an ISBN number (this will allow you to better track your sales).  More on this in Part Two.

One pitfall I hadn't totally realized prior to publishing these books was their impact on my branding. 

These books were all romantic thrillers while my traditionally published novels are medical suspense (although with some romantic elements).  Since the romance community had praised and embraced my medical suspense novels, I thought readers would assume these books were a logical extension of my writing, although in the romance genre.

Most readers have enjoyed these books—after publishing them, I received dozens of letters from fans asking if there would be more, telling me how much they enjoyed these books.

BUT, the first few customer reviews on Amazon were not good.  Since Amazon allows you to track sales on a daily basis, it was easy to see sales plummet after these reviews.  They were still good, about 40 books a day, but lower than before the reviews when they'd averaged 50+ a day.

Since then I've had some good reviews from readers leading to increased sales that have remained steady.  But I still struggle with the knowledge that it's clear some readers were disappointed by my foray into another genre.

Questions I asked myself were: should I keep the books up with poor reviews? Should I change the author on them to a penname so I didn't "contaminate" my CJ Lyons brand?

I decided to leave them up under my own name.  It might not be the right marketing decision, but I stand by these books and it didn't feel right to make money off them and then "disown" them.

However, I did revise their descriptions to more strongly advertise them as romance, so my mainstream readers won't be surprised.  I also offer a large excerpt for free, so readers can easily try them before they buy them.

If you'd like to visit my Amazon page and check the books out for yourself, it's here.

 

Stay tuned tomorrow for Part Two: The Nuts and Bolts of Self E-pubbing

Thanks for reading!

CJ

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As a pediatric ER doctor, CJ Lyons has lived the life she writes about.  In addition to being an award-winning medical suspense author, CJ is a nationally known presenter and keynote speaker. 

Her first novel, LIFELINES (Berkley, March 2008), received praise as a "breathtakingly fast-paced medical thriller" from Publishers Weekly, was reviewed favorably by the Baltimore Sun and Newsday, named a Top Pick by Romantic Times Book Review Magazine, and became a National Bestseller.  Her award-winning, critically acclaimed Angels of Mercy series (LIFELINES, WARNING SIGNS, and URGENT CARE) is available now and the series finale, CRITICAL CONDITION, hits stores November, 2010.  Her newest project is as co-author of a new suspense series with Erin Brockovich.  To learn more about CJ and her work, go to http://www.cjlyons.net/.

Member Benefits? Check out SinC Links!

By Nancy Martin

Every month, Sisters in Crime sends an e-blast to members called SinC Links. When the board created this project, the purpose was to provide the professional writers among us—members who make their living from writing—with solid information about the industry and our place in it. To prepare the e-blast, a crack team of volunteers spends every month scouring the Internet for new stories that have value to women crime writers. We specifically target the Wall Street Journal, The New York Times, Publisher’s Weekly, UK and Canadian newspapers and various industry-related blogs and websites. But we manage to find good stuff off the beaten track, too.

If you followed the Links this year, you undoubtedly noticed that publishing industry trends—especially those in the mystery genre--have been mixed. Sure, bestsellers Janet Evanovich and Patricia Cornwell managed to land great book deals. A few more authors in the mid-six figure range were also successful. But the majority of women selling mysteries right now are being paid very low advances—and a sorry few of those women were members of Sisters in Crime. (So few, in fact, that we changed our policy and now include deals by non-members just so we have something to report in the SinC Links.)

We’ve also noted the “small presses” are paying about a thousand dollars for a book, often for just one-book deals. This kind of deal is more for the hobby writers than the pros, but we list such deals anyway because knowledge is power, right?

The disheartening low-advance trend brings up the consideration that maybe now’s a good time to write something besides mystery if you can. But if you watch the “deals” in other genres, you’ve noticed that YA has exploded (that is, publishers have been eagerly accepting manuscripts that appeal to young adult readers) as have the paranormal and inspirational genres. (Now’s the time, apparently, to try selling that Amish teenage vampire manuscript you’ve kept in a drawer.) If you want to write a thriller and you have a name that could pass for a man’s--well, now’s good for you, too. Romantic suspense seems to be heating up as well. And historical fiction is enjoying a surge among publishers, too.

Of course, those trends may have run their course. If it takes you two years to write such a book--well, “you snooze, you lose,” comes to mind.

The other big story for SinC Links this year, of course, is the rise of e-books. Amazon says they’re selling more e-books than hardcovers. Barnes & Noble’s Nook device has come down in price, and many of their e-books are priced at $10 or less. Which means you can buy a Nook along with a dozen e-books instead of $25 hardcovers, and you’ll break even. Professional authors would be fools not to be sure their books are available in Kindle and Nook format? The Sisters in Crime Summit Report http://www.sistersincrime.org/displaycommon.cfm?an=5 contains valuable info if you’re behind in the e-book trends.

But let’s face it: It’s the “deals” that everybody’s really interested in. How much money was So-and-So paid for what kind of book? Who’s her agent? What editor made the purchase? If you read SinC Links every month only for the deals, you’ll eventually start seeing the trends and act accordingly.

What SinC Links doesn’t do? We don’t provide supportive inspiration. (Although we occasionally find a tidbit that’s entertaining.) Nor are we an outlet for self-promotion. (We don’t announce pub dates, only business deals.) Unfortunately, we don’t provide a venue for discussing current trends either—but that’s what this blog is for! And so is the Sisters in Crime listserve. But SinC Links is intended to help professional writers make solid business decisions as we strategize our careers.

Any questions about SinC Links? Thoughts? Suggestions? Today’s the day!

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Nancy Martin's writing carer has stayed alive for 30 years, during which she has written nearly 50 popular fiction novels including The Blackbird Sisters mystery series and the Roxy Abruzzo series. She serves on the board of Sisters in Crime and blogs at The Lipstick Chronicles.  Be sure to visit Nancy's web site.

One of the Best Books You Never Read

by Leighton Gage

As people with experience of the entertainment industry will tell you, there is no truth in the adage a star is born. Stars aren’t born; they’re made. They’re constructed, role by role, sound bite by sound bite, press release by press release. The more famous an actor becomes, the more press coverage (and the more plum roles) he or she is likely to get.

Talent, contrary to popular belief, has little to do with stardom. Many unknown actors have talent, while many famous stars, particularly movie stars, have none at all.

It’s much the same with writers.

Take the case of Lenny Kleinfeld.

Lenny who?

Yeah, that’s exactly my point.

Lenny isn’t new to writing. He’s done plays and screenplays. He was a columnist for Chicago magazine. His articles have appeared in Playboy, The Chicago Tribune, The New York Times and The Los Angeles Times. And, a while back, he sat down and wrote a mystery novel, Shooters and Chasers.

The book is chock-full of witty one-liners, terrific dialogue and memorable characters. Lenny told a cracking good story and told it superbly well. It’s the kind of book any writer would be proud of.

His struggle to publication was the usual path-of-thorns. Rejection followed rejection. At long last, the happy day arrived. He got picked up by Five Star. Kirkus praised his work (spellbinding…wit, style, suspense plus all the authenticity of an Ed McBain procedural. Lose yourself in it.) and awarded him a star. The book went on to sell…wait for it…1,377 copies.

Yes, I’ll be happy to repeat that number.

One-thousand-three-hundred-and-seventy-seven, one of which was mine.

I have never met Lenny Kleinfeld face-to-face.

I hope to, someday, but he and I live on the opposite sides of the world.

When I read Shooters and Chasers, I thought it was so darned good that I wrote to say so. I did more. I shared my opinion all over the internet, as I’m sharing it with you now.

Lenny wrote back to thank me, which is how I found out about the 1,377 copies.

That kind of success, or rather the lack of it, is enough to make a grown man cry. As a matter of fact, two of them did when they heard about it.

Lenny and myself.

Undaunted, Lenny dried his tears and got to work on his second.

Which is as it should be. It’s the profession we’ve chosen, and it isn’t for wimps.

But, if you’re a reader do yourself a favor: try to score one of the few copies of Shooters and Chasers, most of which are in libraries.

But, if you’re an aspiring writer as well, take heed from the example of Lenny Kleinfeld: the fact that people aren’t buying your books doesn’t mean they aren’t good.
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Lenny Kleinfeld was born in Brooklyn, became a writer in Chicago, and is now 24 years into a business trip to Los Angeles. In 2009 he became a first-time novelist, which in Southern California means: Screenwriter over 50. 

Leighton Gage lives and writes in Brazil. Every Bitter Thing, his next book in the Chief Inspector Mario Silva series, launches in December.

A Brief Talk with Tamar Myers

By Norma Huss

Tamar Myers was born and raised in the Belgian Congo (now just the Congo). Her parents were missionaries to a tribe which, at that time, were known as headhunters and used human skulls for drinking cups. Hers was the first white family ever to peacefully coexist with the tribe, and Tamar grew up fluent in the local trade language. Because of her pale blue eyes, Tamar’s nickname was Ugly Eyes.



In 1964, four years after Congo became an independent nation, and after living through retribution and civil wars, the family returned to the United States permanently. Tamar survived the culture shock of high school and began submitting books, unsuccessfully, while still in college. She persevered and now has 37 published books in two mystery series (all still in print) and stand-alones. The cozy mystery community recognizes her as one of the best. Along the way she’s given hilarious workshop lectures (and I can personally testify to that). In 2003 she was chairperson of the Edgars committee that selected the Best First Novel of the previous year. Her website is http://www.tamarmyers.com/

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First, I think our members would like to know how a girl who grew up in the Belgium Congo and only learned how to dial a telephone at the age of sixteen managed to keep writing for 23 years before being published.  

Ironically, I started college as an art major. (My real desire was to be a painter.  I wanted to attend the Dayton Art Institute but my parents wanted me to get a degree in teaching from a "real" college.)  Anyway, my first art assignment was to do a drawing of my choice, but it was so severely criticized by my professor in front of the class, that I changed my major that day from art to English.  I thought that by becoming a writer I could live in seclusion and never have to be criticized again!  Wow, what a naive dumkopf I was!

At any rate, I began to write in earnest, and I tried every genre, and for 23 years before getting that first sale!  To answer your question, there were two things that kept me going.  1.) In a high school creative writing class I'd written a longish short story/novella that was good enough to make the teacher, by his own admission, weep with envy.  He said, about himself,  "I'll never be able to write that well."  2.)  The loving support of my husband, who would prop me up every time a returned manuscript would knock me flat on my butt.  My husband, Jeffrey, read a great deal and always reminded me that I was "just as good a writer--even better--than" so-and-so.     

I agree!  The titles of the books in your two series are delicious!  Which comes first, the title or the story? 

I sell my books by the titles alone!  The plots and synopsis come later.

You have these two mystery series with more books scheduled to come out this year and next.  Still, you write other books as well.  Tell me about your latest one, The Witch Doctor's Wife.  There is mystery in this too, is there not?

Yes, The Witchdoctor's Wife is a mystery, although frankly I think of it as just a good story that is told through the eyes of people living in another culture in another time and place.  I have retired the other two mystery series, and this is my time to concentrate on writing the stories of my childhood.  The mystery part provides a framework for telling these stories.     

How about a Nuts and Bolts type question.  What is your daily schedule like?  (Or weekly.) 

 I have an office inside my home.  It is upstairs.  It is painted Chinese red, to provide me with energy, and has white French doors that open out on to the loft.  On the walls I have hung framed photos of exotic places I have lived or visited, and famous people I have met, etc., so that when I die, my children won't think that I was a nobody (because by then all of my books will have been remaindered--believe me!).  My desk is a massive wooden desk with three deep drawers on either side and pull out leaves as well, plus a center drawer.  It came from an industrial office sale--and it would be impossible to buy one this large in a retail store.  I have written 35 books on this one, and lugged it around to many houses and three states.  To me it has become sacred by virtue of so much creativity happening atop it.  In a similar vein, i don't allow any computer games to be played on my PC.  This is a sacred spot, an altar--a place for reverent behavior.

I believe as Einstein did, that time is not a sequence of events.  That is a man-made construct.  The past, present, and future are all happening simultaneously.  Therefore my "future" books have already been written.  So why should I struggle to write them?  Well, I shouldn't!  That is why I begin each day asking the Universe to give me my daily portion of creativity (I hold my arms skyward), and then sit down and write a thousand polished words--five days a week.  After seventy days you have a book.  You don't need to plan it out, because the book has already been written!  All you have to do is receive it!   Just be open each day and let your subconscious mind receive what the Universe wants to give it.  It is that simple!  It has worked for 35 books!

Tamar, thanks so much for visiting the Sisters in Crime blog today.
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Norma Huss has been writing mystery for years, but only had her first novel published last year. YESTERDAY’S BODY was published by Wings ePress, Inc. Another mystery, DEATH OF A HOT CHICK is ready to make the rounds of agents. She’s a wife, mother, and grandmother as well as an advocate of a local bloodhound search and rescue unit. Visit her at http://www.normahuss.com/

SinC Still Loves Libraries

We love libraries so much, we've extended our "We Love Libraries"  lottery through 2011.  Monthly grants of $1,000 will be awarded from through December 20111.  At the end of each month, a winner will be drawn from entries received at our website at http://www.sistersincrime.org/.  Only U.S. libraries may enter the drawing.  Click here to see our winners.

To enter, simply complete the entry form and upload a photo of one or more of your staff with three books in your collection by Sisters in Crime members.  You can find a list of our members who are authors by clicking here, or by navigating to our left side menu under Resources, SinC Authors.

After the random drawing on the last business day of the month, the winning library will be contacted and announced.  All branches within a larger system may enter; however, once a library in the system has won, no other libraries within that system can win the grant.  Those not successful in one month will automatically be entered for subsequent drawings.  Grants must be used to purchase books and may not be used for general operating expenses.  Book purchases are NOT restricted to the mystery genre nor to those by Sisters in Crime members. There is no cost or obligation other than allowing us to post winners' photos on our website.

 The Newton Falls Public Library in Newton Falls, Ohio was our July winner

All libraries are welcome to enter. If you have Sisters in Crime author mysteries in your collection we would love for you to enter this money giveaway.

We at Sisters in Crime LOVE our libraries and want to see them thrive. Enter for your library's chance to win.  Click here for the entry form.

If you have any questions please contact Beth Wasson.

A World Without Writers

Ahhh, Greenway . . . A Dame's Hideaway

By Hannah Dennison

My parents were avid readers. Every other Saturday, we’d troop to the library to select our next read. Naturally, Agatha Christie was often among the stack of books we brought home to devour.

Greenway was Agatha Christie’s summer home in England and is just five miles from where my mother lives in Totnes, Devon. Mum has worked as a volunteer for the National Trust for 30 years and last summer, she added Greenway to her ever-growing list of things that keep her busy. Not bad for someone who just celebrated her 80th birthday.

We’d known for ages that Greenway had been undergoing a massive restoration process — to the tune of $7.8 million. The house and glorious woodland garden were given to the National Trust in 2000 by Agatha Christie’s daughter Rosalind and her second husband, Anthony Hicks, and Rosalind’s son, Mathew Prichard. When Rosalind and Anthony passed away in 2004 and 2005 respectively, Mathew took the generous next step of gifting virtually the entire contents to the National Trust.

Mathew said that his parents were fiercely protective of the Greenway legacy. His greatest wish was for people who visit Greenway to feel some of the magic and sense of place that he felt as a child in the 1950s and 1960s. Hence the house has been recreated in the style of those years that Mathew remembers as his happiest — during his grandmother’s heyday.

The current house was actually built in 1790 by an American from Boston named Roope Harris Roope. Over the years, Greenway was rebuilt, altered and extended by various owners, including local MPs, merchants and bankers, until Agatha Christie — known locally as Mrs. Mallowan — or just “Mrs. M” — bought the house for £6,000 in 1938 with her second husband, Max, the famed archaeologist.

They, too, made changes — although Christie was to remark later that she wished she’d had the foresight to add a small kitchen next to the dining room. It had never occurred to her there would come a day when there was no domestic help!

Shortly afterwards, World War II came. As part of the preparations for D-Day, the Admiralty eventually requisitioned Greenway for the use of the United States Coast Guard. Greenway became the Officers Mess for the 10th US Coast Guard Flotilla based in the Dart Estuary. Among them was Lt. Marshall Lee, who was to become an unofficial Greenway war artist. He created a vividly poignant frieze around the walls of the library that can still be enjoyed today.

The National Trust has kept their promise to Mathew Prichard. Greenway remains in a 1950s English time warp — right down to the thick Bronco medicated toilet paper in the Victorian lavatory.

Greenway is not a museum with “do not touch” signs and roped-off rooms that provide mere glimpses of the treasures beyond. It feels more like an open, private home where the owners have just popped out and will be back shortly.

Anthony Hicks’ hat collection is stacked on an oak gate-leg table, family photographs are scattered throughout and an antique drinks tray is set up, ready for an evening cocktail. Visitors are invited to play the grand piano in the drawing room and use the tennis court. The dining room can also be hired for private dinner parties. Some of the chairs can be sat on, making it more comfortable to leaf through wonderful scrapbooks filled with anecdotes. I particularly enjoyed the “Confessionals,” listing each family member’s favorite flowers, pet peeves, cherished values and fears. In fact Greenway is such a warm and welcome place to visit, my mother related a story that caused much merriment among the volunteers. One afternoon, a four-year old girl was discovered, snuggled under the duvet, fast asleep in Agatha Christie’s bed. She’d even taken off her shoes.

The Victorians were great collectors and Agatha Christie — born in 1890 — was no exception. The mind-boggling collection of antique furniture, house wares and accouterments at Greenway span five generations. They include Tartanware, Meissen, Maunchlinware, papier mâché, enameled boxes, Bargeware, Verge watches, Stevengraphs, Treen and Tunbridgeware. Many items were collected from trips Agatha Christie and Max made to the Orient. I nearly fainted when I saw a camel from the Tang dynasty sitting happily on the sideboard, instead of being protected under reinforced glass.

The highlight of my visit was reading facsimiles of Agatha Christie’s notebooks. It is of great comfort to know that even the Queen of Crime, with more than 80 books under her belt, said, “To begin with I had no joy in writing, no élan. I had worked out the plot – a conventional plot – I knew, as one might say, where I was going, but I could not see the scene in my mind’s eye and the people would not come alive. I was driven desperately on by the desire, indeed the necessity to write another book and make some money.”

Another Agatha Christie gem is a tape recording of an interview she had with a BBC radio program in 1955. When asked to describe her writing method, she said “…the real work is done in thinking out the development of your story and worrying about it until it comes right. That may take quite a while. Then, when you’ve got all your material together, all that remains is to find time to write the thing!”

Unfortunately, if anyone is expecting to see her writing room, they will be disappointed. Robyn Brown, Greenway’s Property Manager who has overseen the entire rebirth of Greenway, said that Agatha Christie wrote when traveling with Max on digs throughout the Middle East. Greenway was a family summer retreat and the place where she celebrated finishing a book. 

Greenway was clearly the inspiration for many of her plots. Dead Man’s Folly (1956) was set at the late Georgian, early Victorian Boat House — complete with plunge pool — overlooking the River Dart and the Scold’s Stone, supposedly where disobedient wives were trussed up to drown in medieval times.

As my mother and I finished our champagne and ate the last of her birthday cake, a certain chill came over me. The dark waters of the plunge pool seemed to glimmer ominously. Was something lurking beneath the muddy waters, or were our eyes tricked by the dappling sunlight pouring in through the half-opened door?

Now there’s an idea for a story …
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Hannah Dennison writes the Vicky Hill mysteries. Her third book, Expose! will be released this month. Visit her website.  Hannah is a member of the Killer Characters blog and posts every 12th of the month.
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Getting to Greenway
Greenway is 200 miles southwest of London. This year there have been 80,000 visitors — the house is small with a lot to see. If traveling by car it is essential to pre-book a parking spot. There are no exceptions as it is physically impossible to park on the narrow roads leading to Greenway and you will be turned away. The recommended route is either by old-fashioned steam train from Paignton or Dartmouth or even better, the “Green Way” along the tranquil River Dart. Ferries run from Dartmouth, Torquay or Brixham. On disembarking at Greenway jetty, it’s a very pretty short walk up to the house. 

For opening times and events, check www.nationaltrust.or.uk/greenway and ferries www.greenwayferry.co.uk. For diehard fans, one floor of the main house has been turned into a five-bedroom apartment available for rent — so continuing Greenway’s legacy as a holiday retreat.