A Time To Write   -  Ruben D. Gonzales

It came as a surprise to me, the solitariness of writing. Long hours alone. Cooped up with only my thoughts on the created fictional world. I now understand the draw a fictional world holds over troubled souls. A world of your own making where outside stresses may be left behind. Where worries of a Corona virus need not be carried. Our shoulders, bent under the pressure of every day life, suddenly relieved by the trip into another domain, created just as you want, filled with whimsical characters or dreadful spirits, happy children, or assassins bent on death.

Of course my wife dislikes that world. The world where I appear to lose myself – away from the immediacy of the household world. Both retired now from working beneath others, on others schedules, from others expectations, I think she thought the hard earned free time would be our time. Time to spend visiting grand children. Time for household chores and renovations. Instead she discovered a writing hermit had been sharing her bed all these years.

Not that I entirely withdraw from the world around. There are still meals to contemplate, trash to take out, occasional long delayed home repairs. But at the slightest pause in the everyday I can dash to the computer to write. To retreat into the world of my current story, treasure hunt or mystery. 

As writing has become the must do – other once cherished past times have indeed passed. The guitar in its case remains silent. The twang of the banjo leaning against the wall next to my desk remains strangely quiet. The piano in the den, even at this holiday time of year, has lost its merriment. All replaced by solitary writing where the words on the page take the primary position over all else.

Is this why the literary world is filled with the scared souls of our greatest writers? Or have I not just found the balance between what is expected and what is needed - to write.

So I steal time in the early morning hours, waking at 4:00 AM - sometimes earlier. Stealing time from sleep. A double edged sword. To find time to write but with the loss of sleep the dreams that come are also lost. 

www.rubendgonzales.com

New Release — The Case of the CatWalk Saint (A P.I. Berger Mystery Book 1) by Harol Marshall @prairierosepubs #firestarpress #mystery

When stripper Cinda Mae Bradbury walks into private investigator Polly Berger’s Hollywood office, she brings a dazzling smile and a whole lot of trouble with her! Polly is always up for a challenge, and the gorgeous entertainer at the nearby CatWalk strip club brings Polly a case she just can’t resist jumping into with both feet. 

But Polly and her stand-up comic secretary, Bunny, barely scratch the tip of the iceberg before things turn deadly. What’s happening with the strange Señora at the Botanica de Angeles, the Mass of Santa Muerte, and the dead bodies that keep turning up?

When bullets fly, Polly could never guess she’d be so glad to have her ex-husband, Johnny Birdwhistle, helping out on the case. A crack detective with the Hollywood Police Department (HYPD), Johnny has his own reasons for lending a hand. But can Polly go back into a relationship—business or otherwise—with Johnny? Polly finds herself knee-deep in one of the most dangerous cases she’s ever taken on—one that involves murder and human trafficking…and it all started just down the street at The CatWalk.

EXCERPT

     “You’re the P.I.?” My visitor’s question sounded like an accusation. “P.I. Berger?”

The door to my office framed a silhouette Bunny would kill for. I looked her over. Long blonde hair flowed over her shoulders like cheese sauce over nachos. My stomach grumbled as she entered the room, her red knit dress locking in curves better than a Ferrari at the Grand Prix. I had her number already.

     “That’s me, how can I help you?”

     “You got credentials?”

     I pointed to the certificates hanging on the wall behind my desk. She sauntered over for a look, all hips and plenty of cheek. “I got a question,” she drawled, surveying the certificates, “are you a real P.I. or are those just your initials?

     I sighed. “Both.”

     “Did you make up that name ‘cause you’re a detective or did you decide to be a detective ‘cause that’s your name? I mean Pauline Isabel Berger ain’t your normal everyday detective name.”

     “I agree, it ain—er, isn’t. Can I help you with something?”

     “That’s why I’m here. What do I call you, Paul or Pauline?”

     “I go by Polly.”

     She grinned. “You wanna cracker?”

     Her wit lacked creativity, but I smiled anyway. “You know how many times I’ve heard that?”

     “Yeah. Sorry, I couldn’t resist. Wasn’t that the name of an old timey movie star? Polly Berger?”

     “Bergen.” I said. “With an ‘n.’”

     “Well, I guess nobody’s gonna mix you up with her, anyway.” She shrugged, sending me an apologetic look. “I didn’t mean that that the way it sounded. Polly Berger’s been in heaven for a while now, I think.”

     I held my tongue. These days I couldn’t afford to be fussy about new clients. As my secretary liked to remind me, “lose your patience, lose your patients.” Bunny found that funny. I didn’t, but I had to admit it helped me hold my temper.

     

New Release -- BLUE SPRINGS by John D. Nesbitt

Wilf Kasmire is surprised to hear from his ex-girlfriend, Dawn Jenkins—and even more puzzled when she asks if she can stay with him “for a while.” The note of worry in her tone has Wilf agreeing—against his better judgment, but also wondering if she’s in trouble. Her stay with Wilf is cut short when she disappears without a note—and Wilf realizes he was right to be concerned.

When another young woman’s body is found nearby their small Wyoming town, Wilf knows he’s got to assure himself of Dawn’s safety. But as time goes by, the clues he finds tell him otherwise. Now, someone’s after Wilf, too, and he’s determined to discover if the would-be murderer is the same man who has abducted Dawn.

With little help from the local authorities, Wilf must stand alone against the man he believes is involved in a drug ring—a criminal who is likely responsible for at least two killings. A man who intends to murder Wilf, as well. But the need to know what happened to Dawn burns hot, and Wilf Kasmire is not one to admit defeat. Can he survive long enough to piece together the evidence he needs to bring the murderer down first? Nothing is certain in BLUE SPRINGS…

“Nesbitt is a true artist” — Western American Literature

EXCERPT

     Wilf pulled in parallel to the curb in front of the sheriff’s office. In the parking lot next to the building, two patrol cars and a white Jeep Cherokee, all with foot-high yellow-and-black lettering, sat with their noses lined up even. Past the vehicles, a man in uniform stood smoking a cigarette. Beyond him, the sidewalk led past the two-story part of the building that held the jail. Wilf remembered seeing prisoners in orange outfits walk that way toward the courthouse, and he was glad not to see them now.
     He got out of his pickup, waved to the cop, and went in the front door of the Hamilton County Sheriff’s Department. Inside, he waited at a glass reception window until a hefty woman pushed herself away from a desk and came to the counter.
     “How can I help you?”
     “I’d like to report a missing person.”

     

New Release -- TEXAS JEOPARDY by James J. Griffin

Texas Ranger Jim Blawcyzk lands in hot water when he kills a drug dealer in a shoot-out between the Rangers and a gang of modern day outlaws deep in the heart of Texas. But that’s only the tip of the iceberg as he uncovers the criminal connection between these same drug dealers and a slew of murders taking place across several Texas counties. 

When the hit men come after him and his family, they get more than they ever bargained for—the fight is on, and Jim Blawcyzk is one Ranger who is determined to get his man, or die trying. 

As a deadly shooter chases his wife, mother, and baby son through city streets, Jim takes the battle to him in the most personal way he can. A Texas Ranger to the bone, Jim Blawcyzk vows to protect and defend his family, friends, and beloved home at any cost, in this deadly TEXAS JEOPARDY…

EXCERPT

     Jim leapt from his truck, shotgun in hand.
     “Texas Rangers!” he shouted. “Nobody move. Down on the floor, now!”
     He fired one round from his Remington into a shelf of empty glass bottles for emphasis. One man toward the back started for his pistol, but a bullet between his feet from Jerry’s pistol quickly discouraged him. He dropped to his belly, and put his hands behind his head.
     “Next one who tries somethin’ like that will wind up dead,” Jim warned. “Get down on your bellies, hands behind your necks, and stay there. Don’t even wiggle.”

      

10 WORDS FOR MYSTERY, by Mollie Hunt

“It is a riddle, wrapped in a mystery, inside an enigma; but perhaps there is a key.” Winston Churchill, radio broadcast in October 1939 

I write mysteries, yet one word we shy away from in a mystery story is the word, mystery, itself. The genre has kidnapped that term. It’s primary definition of being something that is difficult or impossible to explain has been hijacked by the secondary meaning: a novel, play, or movie dealing with a puzzling crime, especially murder.

When I write “It’s a mystery”, am I saying something is a puzzle or conundrum, or do I refer to the book lying on the table? Best to avoid the confusion altogether, especially since there are so many alternatives to play with instead.

1. Riddle: Who doesn’t think of Batman’s Riddler when this word comes up? Either that or your Uncle Henry telling jokes at the family Christmas party.

“Riddle me this, riddle me that, who's afraid of the big, black bat?” —The Riddler, Batman Forever (1995)

 2. Charade: Like masquerade, charade evokes thoughts of masks, then masked balls, then crazy partys in the 18^th century.

“I think the worst time to have a heart attack is during a game of charades.” ― Demetri Martin

 3. Anomaly: I like the word, anomaly. It makes me think of Star Trek and all the anomalies that keep our imagination brimming with aliens and things that go bump in space, but that’s only part of the story.

"Writing is, in the end, that oddest of anomalies: an intimate letter to a stranger.” ― Pico Iyer

“It's in the anomalies that nature reveals its secrets.” ― Johann Wolfgang von Goethe

4. Quandary: Your grandmother’s quandary was whether to feed the chickens or wash the pig.

“My great quandary was what coat to wear and which books to bring.” ― Patti Smith, M Train

“It appears that God has deliberately left us in a quandary about many things.” ― Elisabeth Elliot

 5. Puzzle: Puzzle, to me, is something tangible, like a jigsaw puzzle. One piece missing and you’re lost.

"Who in the world am I? Ah, that's the great puzzle.” ― Lewis Carroll, Alice in Wonderland

 6. Secret: Everybody’s got one.

“Good books don't give up all their secrets at once.” ― Stephen King

“All the secrets of the world are contained in books. Read at your own risk.” ― Lemony Snicket

7. Conundrum: “We are now faced with the fact that tomorrow is today. We are confronted with the fierce urgency of now. In this unfolding conundrum of life and history, there "is" such a thing as being too late. This is no time for apathy or complacency. This is a time for vigorous and positive action.” ― Martin Luther King Jr.

8. Enigma: “Watching a coast as it slips by the ship is like thinking about an enigma. There it is before you, smiling, frowning, inviting, grand, mean, insipid, or savage, and always mute with an air of whispering, ‘Come and find out’.” ― Joseph Conrad, Heart of Darkness

9. Paradox: Gilbert & Sullivan wrote a song about one:

“How quaint the ways of Paradox! At common sense she gaily mocks!” — Gilbert and Sullivan, The Pirates of Penzance

Here are a few more examples:

“Good judgment comes from experience, and experience comes from bad judgment.” ― Rita Mae Brown, Alma Mater

“Procrastinate now, don't put it off.” ― Ellen DeGeneres

“In this world there are only two tragedies. One is not getting what one wants, and the other is getting it.” ― Oscar Wilde, Lady Windermere's Fan

“I am the wisest man alive, for I know one thing, and that is that I know nothing.” ― Plato, The Republic

10. Arcanum: I chose this word because it sounded mysterious, and outside of the tarot, I’d never heard it before. Arcanum is defined as: 1. a secret accessible only to the few; specialized knowledge or details unknown to or misunderstood by the average person. 2. (Alchemy) a secret of nature sought by alchemists such as an essence or remedy; an elixir. It is also a role-playing game.

Check out more blogs by Mollie Hunt at:

Mollie Hunt: Crazy Cat Lady Mysteries and more

Happy reading!

The Mystery of Mysteries, by Mollie Hunt

 

The mere word brings vivid images of swirling fog and shadowy undercurrent, corpses floating to the surface of a murky river, gunshots in the night. As both a mystery reader and writer, the genre flares my imagination. Where is the body? What will happen next? Whodunit?

But the mystery genre abounds with sub-genres: the thriller, the cozy, the suspense, the romance, and the noir, just to name a few. Last weekend I joined a panel of 10 mystery writers to discuss the topic of our villains. I learned more than I ever expected.

 

Question no. 1: Who comes to your story first, your hero or your villain? Most agreed it was the hero, especially those who write a series. Coming up with new trouble for a recurrent hero is the objective of an evolving storyline. Some books, however, are built on the actions of the villain; then he (or she) becomes inexorably entwined with the hero and you have a chicken and egg situation. Once in a while, the villain is such a strong character that the hero is almost incidental.

 

What about gender? Could a writer switch sexes and have the results remain the same? Yes and no. Stereotypes abound, but for a reason: statistically men shoot guns while women poison. Only crazies and historical figures wield knives and blades.

 

How does location influence a villain’s attributes? Or does it? To some, location is everything – this was my take, since the villain in my mystery Placid River Runs Deep has only left his tiny rural Washington hometown to do a stint in prison for murder; naturally when he is ready to kill again, he returns to his roots. Other writers, however, said their villain(s) could kill anywhere. The socio/psychopath who takes lives for reasons known only to themselves may know no boundaries.

 

Speaking of boundaries, what challenges or boundaries do the different mystery genres generate? The writers of cozies need to offer an engaging mystery without the use of disturbing sex or violence (and no harsh language, please!). The noir, characterized by cynicism, fatalism, and moral ambiguity, is bound by those terms. The thriller knows no such constraint, and often grislier is better.

Are there crimes your villain couldn’t or shouldn’t commit? All 10 writers across all genres agreed on this one: Never kill the cat or dog.

Check out more blogs by Mollie Hunt at:

Mollie Hunt: Crazy Cat Lady Mysteries and more

Happy reading!