ON THE BUBBLE WITH JAMES LINCOLN WARREN

To say that James Lincoln Warren (aka JLW) is the quintessential short story writer is not an exaggeration.  His contributions to Alfred Hitchock Mystery Magazine is prolific and his stories can always be counted on to be not just well crafted, or fascinating - but unique.   JLW is, by the way, an incredible wordsmith.  He knows words (and their roots ) I never knew existed!  I could go on forever listing his accomplishments in the real world, but there isn't enough space.  I can listen to him for hours (and I have) even though it's tough to get a word in edgewise. <g>  But you don't really need to know all of that - just believe me when I say he's one hell of a great guy and will never, ever bore you!

Come meet JLW!

EE:  It's well known, Jim - that you are a repository of arcane knowledge, but did you really find it amusing to inform Wikipedia of their many errors?

JLW:  Not half as much as I enjoyed showing off at Trivial Pursuit back in the 80's, because then I had an admiring audience, that is, when they weren't throwing things at me for being an overbearing snot.  In particular, there was one question, "How many Queens of England have there been named Elizabeth?"  The answer on the card was three:  Elizabeth I, Elizabeth II, and Elizabeth the Queen Mum.  This is wrong.  The correct answer is five: Elizabeth Woodville, Queen under Edward IV; Elizabeth of York, Edward IV's daughter and wife of Henry VII: and another three.

Okay, folks - see what I mean?  What doesn't this man know for God's sakes?

EE:  As one of the few renaissance men in the mystery world, what historical figure to you most identify with?

JLW:  The medieval explorer Sir John Mandeville, one of the most spectacular frauds in history, and chronicler of the reign of Prester John - did you know that Marco Polo went looking for Prester John because of Mandeville, but wound up discovering pasta instead?  True.  Or speaking of pasta, maybe Gioacchino Rossini, the very fat composer who gave up music so he could cook and eat all the time.  There was a man with his priorities straight - not enough writers truly value the act of eating, even when they're sober.  And then there's Archimedes, who jumped out of his bath and ran screaming naked through the streets of Syracuse just because he had a good idea.  I think most of us scribblers can relate.

You mean we have an ENGLISHMAN to thank for pasta??  For God's sakes! Don't let Tony Soprano find out about this.  He's got enough problems right now.

EE:  It's common knowledge around Mysteryville that you are an accomplished classical guitarist.  So is it true you walked out of a Santana concert when his rendition of Malajuena Salarosa was not executed the way you'd taught him?

JLW:  A base canard.  We had a misunderstanding about which one of us should be dating Nichelle Nichols (Lt. Uhura of 'Star Trek' fame), and somehow this stupid rumor got started because folks noticed that Carlos and I weren't speaking.   Hey, look, I play classical guitar.  Malaguena is flamenco.

Well, I KNEW THAT! But see what happens with rumors?  Don't you just hate gossips? The dummies couldn't even get that right!

EE: Which words or phrases do you most over use?  Other than WTF, okay?

JLW:  "I writhe at your feet in a frenzy of self-abasement."  How can you go wrong with Noel Coward?

Ohhhhh, is that a hot flash I feel?

EE:  Rumors are rife that your exclusive organization - PHARTS - (membership open to only the most soigne) - is really a recruiting ground for a subversive committee to kidnap Jon Jordon and force him to read and review The Da Vinci Code.  These are serious murmurings, JLW, and I'm offering you a public forum to answer.

JLW:  I am not at liberty to discuss any of the phases PHARTS intends to initiate as part of our program for overthrowing the world's governments and assuming global dominion.  But there are teensy-weensy PHARTish symbols on the back of the dollar bill, and that should give you some warning.

Huh?  I'm a member of PHARTS and I didn't know that!  Heck, I just thought that we...well, nevermind.

EE:  My spies have reported that your plans to take a production of The Full Monty to Bouchercon this year is on the back burner now that Paul Guyot has dropped out.  I mean, this stellar production has legs!  Have you found a replacement yet?  And who else is in the cast?

JLW:  Nothing could replace Paul.  I mean it.  Nothing is the absolute perfect replacement for Paul  The biggest problem I'm having with casting is that all my friends at mystery conventions, quite naturally, are sublimely attractive women and no matter how hard I try to convince them otherwise, none of them want to play skanky male strippers.

Well, yeah - Guyot IS one of a kind.  Which kind is up for debate, but we do love him.   And the women friends?  Oh, dear readers - you should see the entourage!

EE:  While you are probably one of the finest short story writers around (I believe I mentioned that earlier?), the rumblings from your legion of fans grow stronger each day as they await a real book.  When do you see this happening?

JLW:  Sadist.

Muahahahah!  But be advised - they don't call me Evil E for nuttin'!

EE:  Your lovely wife, Margaret (oh, but she is a long suffering soul!) whispered in my ear that you no longer advise the script writers on Deadwood.  Can this really be true?

JLW:  Yes, because I thought all this time that the show was called Wormwood and chronicled psychotic episodes subsequent to the immoderate imbibing of absinthe, something for which I am naturally qualified, at least for the psychotic episode part.  Then I learned it wasn't.  Can you believe it, Ian McShane doesn't even play Lovejoy in it?  I mean, what's that all about?  All right, so he's too old now, but still.  I was so embarrassed when I found out, I can't tell you.

Well, hell, JLW!  I don't blame you for walking out!  I certainly would have too.  I mean, absinthe has been getting a bad rep for too long.  Your expert input would have enlightend the world.  Shucks.

EE:  What about the buzzing going round that you passed on the opportunity to replace Scott McClellan as Dubya's press secretary?  Was this because you felt you owed your fans your total committment?

JLW:  I actually auditioned, but it didn't work out.  I couldn't keep a straight face.  And they didn't like it when I mooned the President much, either, but I had to do my duty the way I saw it.

An officer and a gentleman through and through! But was that your former Admiral in the background waving you on?

EE:  There are murmurings on the Coconut Vine that you have discovered the revered ancient Polynesian chants are actually Lemurian and this unprecedented find will be documented by National Geograph.  Is this true, and if so - when might we see this epic?

JLW:  It's actually more sensational than that.  I discovered that Maori war cries are actually Sumerian corruptions of the dialogue from eighteenth century French sex farces translated into Yodish, which is  lot like Yiddish, except that at the end of the sentences the verbs you put.  We had a sponsor, but the Depends people pulled out, so now we're looking at maybe Ensure or Polygrip to help out.

What happened to Viagra?  Are they still dickering?

EE:  And will this spectacular discovery prevent you from penning your mesmerizing short stories?  Tell us this is not true!

JLW:  Only if I get a thirteen episode deal.

Yeah, stick to your guns on that!

EE:  Okay, let's get serious now (?).  Which writer would you love to have all to yourself in a cozy corner of the bar at the next Bouchercon?

JLW:  John Mortimer.

That's no fair!  You monopolized him last time he showed up at Bcon!  Besides, I kinda thought you might say...well, nevermind.

EE:  I'll give you another chance to make nice.  Who would be on your ideal panel?

JLW:  It depends on the subject.  If it were short stories, I'd like Ed Hoch, Mat Coward, Jeffery Deaver, and Joyce Carol Oats.  If it were historicals, I'd like Lynda Robinson, Charles and Caroline Todd, Edward Marston, Ross King (author of Ex-Libris, not the KTLA Channel 5 entertainment reporter, who is an embarrassement to Scots the world over), and Leslie Silbert (if she ever writes another book).  If it were about P.I. fiction, I'd like Bill Pronzini, Robert Crais, Sue Grafton, and John Shannon.

Since you didn't mention 'accidental sleuths', I'll let you off the hook.

EE:  And who, if I may be so bold to ask, would you dearly love to tour with?

JLW:  Anyone of my main crime fic buds:  Paul Guyot, Scott Phillips, or Charles Todd.

Okay, you're still off the hook.

EE:  Well, darling JLW - before I let you go, I've got one last mega importantante  question you simply must address!  The New York Times, The L.A.Times, U.S.A. Today and CNN and Fox News are waiting for my call.  Actually, I'm doing a conference with them now.  Why did you turn down Dan Brown's plea to ghost his next book?

JLW:  Because if Langdon really were a professor of religious symbols, he'd be a professor of semiotics.  I could not bring myself to violate my oath as a Word Cop.

What?  Dan Brown's been pulling the wool over our eyes all this time?  Should we doubt anything else he's told us?   Okay, gang -You can quote James Lincoln Warren and run with it!  But wait! Don't hang up yet - what about those full page reviews you promised me?   Sigh.  They hung up, JLW!  But hey, at least they'll mention you.

We're On A Road To Nowhere

JT Ellison

It’s been one of those weeks. I’ve had family in, crazy stuff happening, and I haven’t gotten a lot of regular writing work done. I’m not procrastinating at all, just distracted. Then my savior appeared in the form of JB Thompson. Blog Tag. I’m sure you’ve all seen them – some are more involved than others. There was a great one back a few months on Robert Gregory Browne’s blog ANATOMY OF A BOOK DEAL that involved choosing seven books from your closest bookshelf and assembling a paragraph based on certain page numbers and first/last sentences. This one isn’t quite as complicated. Just don’t laugh at the answers, okay? I’m giving away the store here.

Without further ado…

4 Movies You Would Watch Over and Over:

Gladiator
Days of Thunder
She’s Having a Baby
Any Star Wars Movie other than Episode I

4 Places You Have Lived:

Colorado
Florida
Washington, D.C.
Tennessee

4 (5) TV Shows You Love To Watch:

Alias (Damn them for taking it off the air)
24
LOST
Veronica Mars
My Name Is Earl (Ed. note: Best viewed with TiVo and an adult beverage. Last night's episode, case in point)

4 Places You Have Been on Vacation:

Jamaica
Italy
Great Britain
Florida

4 Of Your Favorite Foods:

Tortellini with Homemade Bolognese
Taquitos
Grilled Chicken Quesadillas
Pizza

4 Websites You Visit Daily:

Confessions of an Idiosyncratic Mind
Publishers Marketplace
Nashville Public Library
Drudge Report

4 Places You’d Rather Be Right Now:

New York City!
Italy
Florida
Beaver Creek, Colorado

Since my answers are so pedestrian, I’ve also decided to add a few to the tag list.

4 Books I’d Rather Be Reading:

Sara Gran – DOPE
Duane Swierczynski – THE WHEELMAN
J.D. Rhoades – GOOD DAY IN HELL
Laura Lippman, Ed. – BALTIMORE NOIR

4 Favorite Books Of The Year (So Far):

Charlie Huston – CAUGHT STEALING
M.J. Rose – THE DELILAH COMPLEX
Allison Brennan – THE HUNT
Tasha Alexander – AND ONLY TO DECEIVE

Books Coming Soon From Bloggers I Love:

Brett Battles – HUNG OUT TO DIE (Spring 2007)
Sandra Ruttan – SUSPICIOUS CIRCUMSTANCES (Fall 2006)
Robert Gregory Browne – A MEASURE OF DARKNESS (2007)
And...
All the great books coming from the MURDERATI crew!

Let’s hear from you guys. What books have really turned you on this year? And which ones are you looking forward to?

Wine of the Week – Ruffino Aziano Chianti Classico D.O.C.G.

The Scary People

Thanks for dropping by, but I'm not here right now.  I've just left to attend the World Horror Convention in San Francisco.  Yay, a hometown convention.  I don't have to get up at some ungodly hour to get dressed, so that I can get undressed again to go through airport security. I can get up when I want and drive in when I need to.  Nice.

They say that you should write what you know, but you should also write what you like.  I grew up reading crime novels and horror novels, so it's no wonder that I switch between writing the two genres and occasionally smoosh them together.  Because of this, I attend both mystery and horror conventions.  I have to say that of all the conventions I attend, World Horror is my favorite.  That isn't to say the mystery ones aren't fun.  Don't get annoyed.  But for me, World Horror is the one I can't miss.  It may not be the best organized or the biggest, but it's the friendliest of all the cons I've attended.  There's a strong family feel amongst the attendees and because of that, people aren't afraid to let their hair down.  It is also the most grueling con of any by far.  Scheduled events usually run into the wee hours and parties put on by publishers, authors and bookstores usually run on 'til morning.  Sleep isn't an option.

Contrary to what you might think, the crowd at World Horror isn't a group of slavering freaks looking for virgin's blood.  It's usually attended by some of most mild mannered and grounded people I know looking for virgin's blood.  You'll see very few people dressed up as vampires and such—just a lot of people wearing black tee shirts.  The misconception is that horror is an excuse for blood and guts, but it's not, if it's good.  Horror at its best lets you see the darkest side of human nature if you want to look at it or not.  But I digress.

World Horror is a four-day celebration for all things scary and a chance to see some of my favorite people that I only get to see once a year—like Santa.  It's also become an all-encompassing con offering panels aimed at the reader and the writer.  There workshops for writers and editors.  It's one of the few conventions that arranges pitch sessions with publishers and agents, which is one of the reasons I like World Horror so much.  I actually sold a book as a direct result of a pitch session at World Horror.

I'll be pretty busy.  I have three panels, two autographing signings and one unofficial one, and a reading.  I'm especially looking forward to the con because advance copies of Working Stiffs will be there on Thursday.  The book isn't out until Monday, by the by.

If you're attending, you can find me at following events:

Thursday 8:00pm: Borderlands Signing Event 
Thursday 10:00pm: Morbid Curiosity Open Mic 
Friday 12:00pm: Building a Fan Base panel
Friday 8:00pm: Mass Autographing
Saturday 3:00pm: Marketing and Promotion for Authors panel 
Sunday 2:00pm: The Sounds of Horror: Audio Horror panel

San Diego's Independent Jewel: Mysterious Galaxy

Two of the three principals of Mysterious Galaxy in San Diego: Terry Gilman, left, and Maryelizabeth Hart. To see the mug of the third, Jeff Mariotte, see his website.

PHOTO COURTESY OF MYSTERIOUS GALAXY

NAOMI HIRAHARA

San Diego is California's second largest city (you probably thought it was San Francisco, right?), called one of the nation's most livable area, home of the state's former governor, expanding high-tech and financial industries, the Padres baseball team, and a U.S. naval base.

About 30 miles north of the Mexican border, San Diego is the seventh largest municipality in the U.S. In the northern part of this sprawling city, which includes 70 miles of surf, is Mysterious Galaxy, San Diego's only brick-and-mortar bookstore dedicated to both mysteries and speculative fiction. Located in the McGrath Court shopping center, right next to a Starbucks, Mysterious Galaxy celebrates its 13th year of operation this weekend with its Book Mitzvah.

What is a Book Mitzvah, you ask? Well, mitzvah means "good deeds" in Hebrew, and the folks at MG will be spreading a lot of good cheer and deeds on Saturday, May 13, from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m., with special signings and donations to nonprofit organizations. See this for more info.

To commemorate this special milestone, as well as to kick off Murderati/L.A. Mix's occasional series on those in the bookselling biz, we will be visiting today with Mysterious Galaxy (MG).

FAST FACTS

Mysterious Galaxy

7051 Clairemont Mesa Blvd., Suite 302, San Diego, CA 92111

Tel: 858-268-4747

www.mystgalaxy.com

Three principals:

• Maryelizabeth Hart, Publicity Manager and Off-site Events Coordinator publicity@mystgalaxy.com
• Terry Gilman, Managing Partner and SCBA President terry@mystgalaxy.com
• Jeff Mariotte, Owner and Staff and Full Time Author (and Maryelizabeth's spouse jmariotte@aol.com

Also, Elizabeth Baldwin, On-site Events Coordinator events@mystgalaxy.com

I asked Team MG some questions about its origins, their fav writers, and thoughts about book covers and book selling in general:

Mysterious Galaxy is a little different from other Southern California mystery stores in that you also have an emphasis on fantasy/science fiction. How did you come up with this dual theme? How has it evolved over the years?

MeH: The bottom line is we sell what we love to read. While our mix is unique to Southern CA, there are several other SF/mystery cross genre specialty stores nationally. I think the biggest evolution over the years has been the growing number of authors and series which we arbitrarily choose a section for that could fit into any of the sub-divisions of our store. Book Mitzvah author Charlaine Harris's Sookie Stackhouse/Southern gothic vampire romance mystery series is a great example thereof.

Tell us how MG came to be established. Whose idea was it? Was it difficult to take it from idea to reality?

MeH: In the early 1990s, there was no specialty SF store in San Diego, and the closest thing, Hunter's Books in La Jolla, was closed by Books Inc. as they shuttered their non-Northern CA stores. San Diego did have a mystery specialty store, Grounds for Murder, but they had a different flavor and the city was growing (and the country was reading, following the leadership of a president who read!) and we felt there was a vacancy that needed filling.

Terry, Jeff and I all had different backgrounds in bookselling and business, which I think lead to a beautiful complementary partnership. Because Jeff and I had both worked in the industry, we had some hands-on experience with publishers and a business plan for a mixed genre store that blended nicely with Terry's financial background. Over the years, I think I've become a better businesswoman, and Terry has become a stellar bookseller.

My memory of the process of creating the store has mostly faded with time, kind of like childbirth. The main thing I remember is spending a long time trying to find the right name.

Have you always been in the same location? If not, when did you move to this location?

MeH: Mysterious Galaxy is in its third (and final!) location. We started about two miles east of our current location in a mall that was more established--after a year and a half, the owners literally knocked down our building and didn't have a space for us. We moved to our second location, a few miles south of here, a location that we eventually outgrew.

With the help of a volunteer advisory board we determined that McGrath Center was the optimal location for us, and we moved here in April 2000. BTW, each move was accomplished in a single business day, with the assistance of our customers and friends and family!

What kind of books are your customers picking up these days? Are you noticing any new trends?

Terry: When I was at the store, lots of Jim Butcher and Charlaine. Our customers are perfect consumers of these cross-over books and they like paranormal romance, too!

MeH: We have always had cross-genre authors and books, but the readership and publisher support for them has grown over the past few years. We find this very gratifying, as some of our favorite books are in these hybrid genres. Also, we are seeing a gratifying diversity of the kinds of mysteries that are available--whether it's contemporary chick-lit/amateur sleuth books, or traditional hard-boiled detectives--spurred, in part, by the very good books published by some of the smaller presses.

When is the best time for author events (time of the year, days of the week, time, etc.)?

Elizabeth: It seems like our best times for events are later in the week--Thursday nights through the weekend afternoons.

When is the best time for authors or publishers to contact you to schedule signings? What kind of lead time do you need? What should authors avoid doing when theycontact you?

Elizabeth: The best time to contact me for an event is usually Monday, Wednesday,or Thursday mornings. The lead time is between 6-8 weeks. I'm currently scheduling August and September for the most part.

MeH: I work on our off-site events with about the same lead time as Elizabeth, and have an erratic schedule, so prefer being contacted by email so I can respond whenever I happen to be in the office. As for the last question, I prefer that authors contacting us not send us promotional materials that only lead us/our customers to the competition's website.

What kind of covers do you gravitate towards?

Terry: Interesting question. I sometimes do judge a book by its cover! I love fun-contemporary covers and also covers that look like great pieces of art.

MeH: I think I tend to buy more by author name recognition and reviews than covers, although Night Shade Books has produced some really amazing covers for their Spec Fiction books lately that I just marvel at. Other than that--I know it's shallow, but chicks with guns.

Any favorite recent reads you'd like to share?

MeH: The Staff Picks section of our website is constantly updated. A couple of recently read titles I need to get uploaded are SNAKE AGENT by Liz Williams and WHAT FIRE CANNOT BURN by John Ridley--two great cross-genre titles!

Who reviews books in your local newspapers?

MeH: The majority of the local book reviews appear in the San Diego Union-Tribune.

Arthur Salm is the editor of the Books Section (one of the few discrete book sections left in the country, I might mention). We are very fortunate that the Books Section features special columns of reviews in our genres once a month: "Spadework" by Robert Wade (of the Wade Miller /Whit Masterson writing team), and Jim Hopper's "Eccentric Orbits."

What is the one thing you wish authors would understand about the bookselling business?

MeH: As technology and the face of bookselling changes, the one thing that remains consistent about the industry is its inconsistency. Booksellers are always working in partnership with authors to bring their books to the attention of book lovers/readers. And we can do exactly the same things to promote two different books with completely disparate results.

I noticed that Terry is the president of the Southern California Booksellers Association (SCBA). Why has she become so involved with the organization?

Terry: It gives me a broader perspective on bookselling, both for the store and on a national level. Since I am first and foremost a business person (with an MBA and an undergraduate minor in accounting), I am enjoying participating in the larger business questions of independent bookselling. I see that there is a huge need for leadership and direction to help independent booksellers to be successful. Our region (SCBA) is currently focusing on two major issues:

1. Getting the word out to consumers (generally, not our current customers) about independent bookstores. We are sure that not enough consumers understand the importance (and existence) of independent bookstores. We are currently focusing on raising the awareness of our SCBA Events (website http://cae.socalbooks.com/) as a one-stop site for finding out about author events in Southern California.
2. Doing a better job of communicating, educating, and mentoring our member bookstores. We believe that our greater strength is as a group of independent booksellers rather than as single entities.

You'll be having a Book Mitzvah to celebrate your 13 years of business. Tell usmore about the festivities.

Terry: We are playing with the mitzvah idea on many levels including: sending out a newsletter in the form of an invitation, having music, playing games with our customers, giving gifts to everyone who attends, giving back to our community, and eating our cake, too!!!

What is your favorite inexpensive restaurant near the store? Also, I noticed that there are some Asian restaurants near you. Have you gone to any good pho (Vietnamese noodle) shops?

Terry: Souplantation!!!!! Something for everyone and you can stay and chat for hours and continue to nibble. Also, all of the restaurants in the McGrath Center, including Players (sports bar) and Niban (sushi and more)!

MeH: We have a bunch of good options in our neighborhood, including Pho Hoa Cali just across the 805 freeway, in the mall with one of my personal favorites, Di Chan Thai Restaurant, and the VIP Oriental Buffet. Just east of the store is the Ranch 99 Market with two very good restaurants and a dim sum counter.

Back on Convoy Street, heading towards our former location, you can find the not exactly inexpensive but great Thai House. There's more yummy Japanese food at Chopstix (not the chain). And the best breakfast in town is at the Original Pancake House on Convoy. Almost all of them offer vegetarian options, with the possible exception of Players.

Anything else you'd like to add?

MeH: While Terry, Jeff and I may have conceived Mysterious Galaxy, it wouldn't have grown and prospered without our great staff, including Store Manager Patrick Heffernan and booksellers extraordinaire, Linda, Linda Rae, Sam and Christine. Plus all of our wonderful customers!

Thank you, Mysterious Galaxy, for being the first bookstore to be featured on Murderati's L.A. Mix!

For mystery lovers and authors, make those plans to take the family to Sea World, the San Diego Zoo, Padres game, and, of course, Mysterious Galaxy. For more party animals, definitely go to the Gaslamp District, because that place is hopping. Other great destinations are Balboa Park, Old Globe Theatre (Shakespeare series), and our personal favorite, Point Loma. A friend's favorite beach is Del Mar Beach, just northwest of MG, off of the 5. If you plan to stop by Mysterious Galaxy during a book tour in Los Angeles, take the 5 to the I-805 and take Clairemont Mesa Blvd. East exit. It's way north of downtown San Diego, only 80 miles away from OC spots like Anaheim and Costa Mesa and 113 miles away from South Pasadena. If you are traveling from Pasadena during rush hour, it will be better for you to take the 210 East to the 57 instead of doing the 5 too early. The 5 is pretty darn hideous.

Maryelizabeth was been a frequent Murderati visitor, so if you post a question in the comments section, there's an outside chance that she may answer. Happy Book Mitzvah, Mysterious Galaxy!

A SPAM MOMENT: With all this talk about Souplantation and Asian noodles, our stomachs are growling. Here's this Spam recollection from Bob Peck of Albuquerque, New Mexico: "Family only ate Spam cooked over a campfire on days when no fish or not enough were caught that morning for a shore lunch on Lake of the Woods, Ontario, Canada." Submit your Spam memories now to nhirahara@juno.com to vie for a basket of goodies, including a Spam sushi maker and Okinawan music CD! See my website for my more info.

Breaking News!!! NORTHERN CAL UPDATE: Thanks to Sue Trowbridge as well as other friends in Berkeley who have alerted me to the sad news in Northern California. In addition to Cody's closing down, A Clean Well-Lighted Place for Books in San Francisco is up for sale. I'll be in Northern Cal for some events next week, so I'll nose around and bring back a report in Murderati.

QUIBBLES & BITS

My subject this week is Small Presses and "Crap Happens," so if you're a wildly successful published author with 6, 7 [or even high 5] figure advances, feel free to skip this blog entry. And, as always, this is just my opinion. ["Of course it is, Deni, who else's opinion would it be?"].

I've been published by Walker, Harlequin, Kensington and Delphi [among others]. I write crime fiction and historical fiction, and I love both genres. While researching the 1692 Salem witch trials for an historical romance, it occurred to me that I could combine my two loves into one book. Thus, I wrote EYE OF NEWT, the first mystery in my Sydney St. Charles "witch" series.

I called it a "cozyhalfhistwoo."

But Big Pub Houses weren't interested, and I finally shelved the manuscript when St. Martin's said the concept was "too dark." I don't write dark. . .

[Please ignore that last sentence, since a goodly number of readers swear up and down that they prefer "dark" mysteries, like The Cat Who Became a Serial Killer or The Exorcism of Lassie.]

Flash forward a few years. Buffy and Charmed were popular on TV, a film studio was shooting the big-screen version of Bewitched, and I had been agentless for a while. So I decided to use EYE OF NEWT [dusted off and revised] as an "audition piece." I submitted to 4 agents. Two weren't enthusiastic enough, one said she'd sign me up and market the book if I took out the historical portions, and one said I showed promise [ouch! - NEWT is my 13th published book]. So I began investigating small presses. . .

Three wanted EYE OF NEWT. Three small presses saw the commercial value: witchcraft was "in" -- so were cats, dogs and parrots. Three small presses knew I had a fan base and a library "name" from my diet club series. And, I guess, three small presses thought I showed "real talent" rather than "promise"  :-)

I chose Five Star.

EYE OF NEWT came out in October 2004--just in time for Halloween!--and received a rave Library Journal review. By the end of December, NEWT had a 95% sell-through. Since then, the book has gone Trade paperback, is on the desk of a high-powered film rep, and I suspect it'll soon go large-print [wish I could crack the audio market].

When I started writing CHAIN A LAMB CHOP TO THE BED, many agents [and a few editors] told me I'd never sell a series that had started at another pub house. I don't like to be told I can't do
something. LAMB CHOP, a Five Star Mystery and the third book in my Ellie Bernstein/Lt. Peter Miller diet club series, made its long-awaited <ahem> debut last November/December. But there was a glitch in Five Star's cover art department and the book was sent out too late for major reviews. Without a review [positive or negative] from one of the big three -- Publishers
Weekly, Library Journal, and/or Kirkus -- library sales are impaired. All I could do was ask friends and fans to request the book from their local libraries [see last Tuesday's blog].

"So, Deni, you'll stop publishing with Five Star now, right?" Not! Crap happens. EYE OF NEWT earned out, big-time, and I'm already negotiating with another press to bring out my diet club backlist in paperback, which will, eventually, include a LAMB CHOP reprint.

There are many spokes in the publishing wheel. and if Five Star wants another Ellie or Sydney book, I'm game.

I've just sedated Beatrice, after promising her that she can continue her serial, GOLDIE AND THE THREE BEERS, next week. Instead, I want to tell you a "crap happens" tale. As L&O would say, this is "ripped from the headlines," but I'm not using any names. I swear under oath -- and on a stack of Stephen King novels -- that it's NOT Five Star. Also, I'm not one of the authors involved.

Once upon a time a small press contracted many new authors, all of whom had written some really good mystery novels. Eventually, the small press allegedly began cutting corners and costs, delaying releases, and using a printing company that produced such a poor product, several authors returned books to the small press's owner, refusing to consign copies that fell apart or had pages missing or had huge errors that weren't the fault of the authors who'd carefully checked the galleys. The small press owner always had excuses, some of them pretty creative.

The press then "went silent" by not answering phone calls, emails, or snail mail. That left authors waiting for edits, galleys, book releases, etc. One author's second book was months overdue, which, she said sadly -- and a tad caustically -- made it difficult to schedule a launch.

Also screwed were authors who had ordered and pre-paid for books to use at signings; who had anywhere from several hundred to a few thousand dollars tied up in their books. "The silence was awful," said one of those authors.

Half the authors chose to leave.

Another author said, "It wasn't easy to leave a 'bird in the hand' publisher and step back into the heavy competition of submitting/crossing fingers, searching for a new publisher.  But if you can't count on getting your edit, galley or book release month after month, or worse, ordering books and paying for them and not knowing if you'd ever receive them, what other choice do you have?"

Some authors got out with all their rights. Some are still battling to get what's owed to them. "Mostly the problem was the broken promises, excuses, and breached contracts," said an author who bailed. "Better to go out on our own and find some other way to publish," said another.

What did I tell those authors [whom I've promised to keep anonymous]?

Well, I certainly didn't say "Crap happens." While that's undeniably true, it's not very soothing.

Instead, I related my experience with Zebra. How I'd contracted 3 books and was convinced that my career was on the brink of soaring to unimaginable heights. In my daydreams I pictured my new convertible, my villa in Greece/Spain/Ireland, my huge hot tub, and a box of new paper clips
[rather than the "borrowed" paper clips -- and rubber bands -- from Kinko's]. In my divorce I specified that my ex was not to get a penny of my advances and royalties.

One of the contracted books -- DREAM DANCER -- was published in 1997, just before my Zebra line
went belly-up [or in their words, "was downsized"]. And although I had to nudge, I received reversion letters for the other two books.

I truly thought my career was over.

But it wasn't. I simply took a deep breath and began to look at other spokes in the pub-wheel. I contracted FOOTPRINTS IN THE BUTTER - an Ingrid Beaumont Mystery co-starring Hitchcock the Dog - to Hard Shell Word Factory, an e-publisher. FOOTPRINTS was seen by a print publisher who brought it out in hardcover. Since then, it has gone mass market paperback and large print [with Thorndike in the US, BBC Library in the UK].

One of my Zebra paranormals -- HALLIE'S COMET -- was sold to Five Star Expressions.

So yes, crap happens. But you can't have a rainbow without some rain and my mantra has always been: "If you drop a dream, it breaks."

To the authors who had the courage to leave an unsatisfactory publisher and start again from scratch, all I can say is please don't drop your dreams!

Over and out,
Deni