A Holland Reads: Denise Weeks - Cozy Mystery Author Spotlight and Interview

A Holland Reads: Denise Weeks - Cozy Mystery Author Spotlight and I...: I am going to be hosting a number of cozy mystery authors on my blog for the next two months. If you have not had the pleasure of enjoy...

Denise Weeks, Mystery Author: Plot Nuts and Bolts, Part II (Conclusion)

Denise Weeks, Mystery Author: Plot Nuts and Bolts, Part II (Conclusion): Last time, I talked about plot bolts--a way to keep your story's threads tied together. Okay, now for the PLOT NUT (nope, that's no...

Denise Weeks, Mystery Author: For writers and readers: thoughts on structure

Denise Weeks, Mystery Author: For writers and readers: thoughts on structure: The beginning of a novel--ideally, the first few lines, unless we are in a prologue, about which more next time--should open a window and se...

Guest Post: "Pet Peeves in Mysteries" by Denise Weeks (alias Shalanna Collins)

Things that annoy readers is a topic that comes up here from time to time. Back in late January Jeanne of the Bristol Public Library offered a guest post on the subject. Of course, there are comments in regards to reviews here and other places. Please welcome today author Denise Weeks (who also goes by Shalanna Collins) as she offers a few thoughts of her own on the subject….

Pet Peeves in Mysteries

Do you have pet peeves?  What are some of yours?  I wince when game show contestants can't add two one-digit numbers, I hate to see street signs that have misplaced apostrophes, and I go crazy when I see some of these tricks in mysteries.

First off, that ever-popular TSTL (too stupid to live) heroine.  PLEASE stop meeting strangers in dark alleys at midnight, alone, with no backup.  PLEASE don't go down into the basement at 2 AM during a power outage armed with nothing but a flashlight because you "heard something."  Especially when the neighbors have been knocked off one by one over the past week!  I like heroines who think like I do, and most readers are too clever to do these things.

OH WHOA IT'S A CLUE--BUT LOOK, SOMETHING SHINY!  Our Heroine finds a Real Live Clue, but we can't let her immediately grasp what it means and how important it is, because then the book would be over. So for a hundred pages or more, the reader is carefully distracted from whatever it was, even though someone else might mention it just to keep that "fair play" ball in the court. About three-quarters of the way in, someone says something innocent that reminds the sleuth about this clue.  AHA! Now we know what that meant!

But even worse is when the sleuth realizes the importance of that dull paper clip--and doesn't announce what it is. The sleuth jumps up from breakfast yelling, "I know! I know how Bogdorp offed Manimal!" And then proceeds to make phone calls that we don't overhear and go running around to set up police officers to be lurking in the background when the perp is confronted. The perp is cornered and either pulls a gun or does a full confession. Sigh.

If you are going to do this, TELL US what it is that she/he realizes. Don't be COY. I hate coy.

Ahem.

And you constantly see people (including the detective) getting conked over the head hard enough to knock them out (to unconsciousness, for up to several hours) and then leaping up to pursue the perp.  NO.  This requires a trip to the emergency room.  Heard of a concussion?  And if your heroine has a large goose egg and stitches, she can't shinny up the telephone pole right after she's wheeled out of the clinic.  Closed head injuries leave lasting effects.

And what about the ending of every "Murder, She Wrote" episode?  Presented with some flimsy guess or inconsequential bit of evidence, the hard-boiled perp hangs his head and proceeds to confess in detail.  A clever murderer who knows that physical evidence and wild conjectures may or may not convince a jury would never blab all.  And they shouldn't even say, "I was in Luxembourg at the AccordionFest when this happened. That's my story, and I'm sticking to it." Especially when the only evidence Mrs. Fletcher has is that he plugged the wrong electric guitar into the amp. Even ONE fingerprint can be explained away if someone often visited that victim's house (why couldn't I have stumbled two weeks ago over the victim's cat and caught myself on that framed needlework on the wall, and that's why my blurred print is on the glass, not because I touched it by accident while beating Aireheadina over the head with a tire iron that you still have not found?)  What SHOULD these perps say?  "I assert my right to remain silent.  I want to call my lawyer."  And then clam up!

I do love "Murder, She Wrote," because it's always entertaining and it features bit players and character actors you never see anywhere else.  But there's a formula they follow, and perhaps it's not the best.

Then there's the stunt that is endemic to category romance. "If You Don't Know, I'm Certainly Not Gonna Tell You." So many plots hinge on something that a character doesn't tell another character, even when it would be perfectly natural and usually obvious to say. If they'd just TALK to each other or ask for clarification, there'd be no plot, so we get to suffer as we flip pages and moan, "Why doesn't somebody just ASK why the sweatshirt was inside-out?" And don't talk to me about when a person sees someone with an attractive companion and jumps to the conclusion that s/he is cheating, and then it turns out to be a long-lost sister or cousin or mom, or a talent scout from MGM. JUST ASK, WHY DONCHA.

If your detective doesn't ask questions that a five-year-old would think of, readers assume you intend us to think the detective is stupid. We hate that. If he can't bring himself to ask, get a five-year-old. There is very little that a five-year-old will restrain herself from asking. "Mommy, is Tayllorr a lady or a man?"

And then there's the ubiquitous sleuth or cop who has "demons," whether it's alcoholism or a murdered loved one.  Zzzzzzz...*pop*  That is a real snooze.  The depressingly "heartbroken" dark hero or heroine is obsessed with recurring thoughts of the wife/husband or fiance or spouse-and-children who were violently or suddenly taken from them. This tragedy may have happened a while ago, but the sleuth has been scarred. Not scarred enough, I might note, to avoid immediately taking up with whoever is the detective assigned to the current case. Pages are filled with how wonderful the ex was and how stunning the new one is. This romance is typically begun in the first book in the series and thus has to be featured in the next book. Sometimes that hampers the plot.

I avoid this last situation in my books because I find it so ubiquitous in all the other series. In the NICE WORK series, Jacquidon broke up with college beau Colin almost a year ago. They'd been cohabiting when she discovered him cheating casually. With a man. He had been dismissive of her and was ruining her self-esteem anyway ("You're not really good enough for me," "I wish I could find someone better.") So she bought her own house, knowing her job was secure over at CSD where she had a very encouraging boss. Ha! Anyhow . . . we don't dwell at all on this, and there's exactly one reference to the past romance.

In the MARFA LIGHTS series, Ariadne had pretty much gotten over Aaron's desertion, although she kept thinking she'd surely hear from him soon, when she hears he has crossed the Veil and has left her all his worldly goods (probably because he took so much from her and used her credit cards to buy the stuff he used to travel and relocate with, promising he'd bring her to be with him once he was set up in "the wilderness.") We don't dwell on that romance. She has enough trouble discouraging Gil, the creepy preacher who was Aaron's best friend, and a few others out in Marfa.  And it's amusing.

I think these authors feel they have to compete with all the other dark, pathetic, twisted, bereaved/deserted protagonists who can NEVER be HAPPY.

There's something to be said for a cheerful protagonist. Jacquidon Carroll is basically happy and cheerful, despite her situation (being a suspect in the murder of her boss--whom she does mourn!! That's another of my pet peeves, when NO ONE cries or mourns or feels sad or even tries CPR when the victim is offed), and her sister Chantal is the "happy moral compass" of the stories. True, Jacquidon does get kind of messed up emotionally while she is targeted as a suspect, and the visits to the BDSM clubs really unnerve her (they're checking out leads, not just having adventures). But she's not always thinking about some awful thing in her past.  Ari French (my other sleuth) is introspective and low-key, and she *does* think about her

losses, which can get heavily philosophical.  But she never falls into the abyss and then leaps into a cop's arms.  In my techie ghost story romantic suspense, LOVE IS THE BRIDGE, everyone is generally upbeat.  I get enough downbeat super-serious sadness from real life.  I read for escape and adventure, not crying catharsis. Thus I do not read "torture porn," kidnap fantasies, or books in which any animal is harmed. Your mileage may, of course, differ.

Let's spare an eyeroll for those hot-and-heavy romances with the cop on the case.  So unlikely in real life.  I also think that the "keep out of the investigation" dicta coming from those cops would make more of an impression on me, were I the sleuth. And I disbelieve the leaking of info they always do when on the phone with the sleuth.  "Yeah, he had a Swiss bank account.  Me, too.  I have a dotted Swiss account!"

AND . . . your heroine must save herself. You cannot have someone else accidentally open the door and rescue her. She must summon help or do the butt-kicking herself.  Let's say she manages to send smoke signals to the cops, or flashes the miniblinds in an SOS pattern, or gets a cell phone to connect while the bad guys are discussing how to dispose of her body. She must do whatever it is that spurs the rescuers on. Or she has to kick the guy in the groin herself and run to the street or to the nearest police station. Make her be the HEROINE! Make her be the one who figures it all out, if you can.

So what? Who cares about my pet peeves? Do you have pet peeves? Let's hear 'em so I don't do 'em in the next book!



Denise Weeks (alias Shalanna Collins) ©2016

Denise Weeks is the author of the Jacquidon Carroll "Snoop Sisters" series as well as the Ariadne French traditional mysteries, along with several standalones like LOVE IS THE BRIDGE.  She writes YA fantasy as Shalanna Collins.  Like many homegrown Texas humorists, she isn't funny.  Her favorite foods are curried yak, chocolate, and French fries. She knows (but is not telling) a plethora of alchemical and occult secrets. Homeland Security has identified her as a person of interest.  (Okay, just kidding.  She doesn't really eat curried yak.)  She is currently at work on yet another novel.  Visit her at
http://shalanna.wix.com/aprilmaybejune
http://deniseweeks.blogspot.com
http://shalannacollins.blogspot.com

Via Denise Weeks, Mystery Author: REMINDER: Book Event August 9 11-1 at Lucky Dog B...

 Jenny Milchman and the crew are doing this again this year to help raise funds for Sandi's cancer treatemnt.  When you have cancer, insurance does not cover lots of things. We are in debt to thousands of dollars and on payment plans to everyone but the dog catcher. We are very grateful for everyone's efforts to help us. If Sandi is physically strong enough she plans to attend .....


Denise Weeks, Mystery Author: REMINDER: Book Event August 9 11-1 at Lucky Dog B...: REMINDER to all DFW denizens! The Jenny Milchman World Book Tour stops in Dallas on August 9th from 11 AM to 1 PM at Lucky Dog Books, Lochwood...

Via PRWeb: Lucky Dog Books Dallas Launches YA Magical Mystery Novel Series "April, Maybe June" on 6/14

Lucky Dog Books Dallas Launches YA Magical Mystery Novel Series "April, Maybe June" on 6/14 (via PRWeb)

Popular Author Shalanna Collins Debuts "April, Maybe June" Novel as Book One in the Bliss Sisters Magical Adventures Series from Muse Harbor Publishing "April, Maybe June" Young Adult Mystery Novel Delightful narrator, both witty and unintentionally…

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Interesting Interview Elsewhere-- Denise Weeks

After reviewing MURDER BY THE MARFA LIGHTS by Denise Weeks earlier in the week (you can read the review here) I came across an interview with her on the "Dames of Dialogue" blog. The interview with Denise Weeks or Shalana Collins if you prefer is extensive and covers the writing process, her books, and much more. You can read the interview here.

Review: "Murder by the Marfa Lights" by Denise Weeks

Ariadne French, who goes by the nickname “Ari” never expected the call that she got while helping to paint her sister's house. Aaron Beecroft, Ari's boyfriend who took her money and her heart and left for Montana to set up their future only to not be heard from in months, is now dead according to the caller. Not only is

he dead, he isn't anywhere near Montana either.

Instead, a neighbor found him dead in his small cabin in the area of Marfa, Texas. Now the caller, Gil Rosseau, wants Ari to come out from Dallas to help handle things. Mr. Rousseau claims to be Aaron's neighbor and pastor and says that Aaron named Gil as executor of a will and Ari is the sole beneficiary. It has been months since Aaron refused to wait for her while Ari dealt with a family crisis and now she is supposed to drop everything and go out to Marta to help with funeral arrangements and other matters.

Her sister Zoe does not want Ari leaving town for any reason and certainly not to go from Dallas to somewhere out in the desert just because some guy called and claims various things. But, Aaron Beecroft had been the one true love of Ari’s life and she has to have answers. Against her sister's emphatic advice, Ari accepts Gil's offer to make her travel arrangements and goes to Marfa to deal with matters and to find out what happened to Aaron. As Labor Day weekend approaches presenting another complication for her plans to wrap things up as quickly as possible Ari finds out that by all appearances Aaron was doing well. But, appearances can be deceiving and as she struggles with rectifying the Aaron she thought she knew with the far different Aaron that lived in Marfa, she also must deal with others and their own agendas. Eccentric neighbors, vendettas, and at least two different men vie for her romantic interests. The fact that she becomes a murder suspect within days, if not hours, of her arrival in Marfa seems to dissuade no one from involving her in their own lives for various purposes. Not to mention those magical and unexplainable Marfa Lights that play a major role in the book.

Murder by the Marfa Lights is a slow moving cozy style mystery that gradually reveals the truth behind everything as Ari is seduced by the land and its people. Readers are given plenty of information on fish, spiders, as well as local situations such as the famous chili cook off and the legnedary Marfa Lights among a few other things. Ari has a sarcastic streak that comes through on a fairly frequent basis providing bits of the humor scattered throughout the 259 page read.

The mystery of what happened to Aaron often takes a back seat to various events and the romantic interest shown to Ari by others. Much of the book is spent detailing the local area and its residents during which there is little forward movement on the mystery itself. Readers who expect a quickly moving mystery may be disappointed, but those who wish to learn more about this special place in the “Big Bend” area of Texas will strongly appreciate the detail here.

Murder by the Marfa Lights

Denise Weeks

http://deniseweeks.blogspot.com/

Pandora Press

ASIN: B002WN2XGC

E-Book (also available in print)

259 Pages

$1.99

Word file was supplied by the author in exchange for my objective review.

Kevin R. Tipple ©2013

The Booksigning Pictures

For those who would like to see some pictures of the book signing last weekend, please surf over to the blog of Denise Weeks. I'm only in a few of them so your computer should be safe.

Back Home

Home from the book signing deal. Had fun. Very, very tired and in tremendous pain. Thank you big time to Earl, Shalanna, and Jenny as well as the staff of Lucky Dog Books on Garland Road in Dallas for making this possible. And than you very much to those who came out and spent the afternoon with us.

Jenny signed a number of copies for Lucky Dog Books on Garland Road as well as the Grapevine location of Books-A-Million so be sure to stop by and pick up a signed copy of Cover of Snow. Lucky Dog Books is a really neat bookstore and I easily could have spent hours there.

A number of folks were taking pictures and as they come in I will post them to the blog.

 

Today is the Day

For the book signing deal at Lucky Dog Books. I won't be signing my own as this is being done on our behalf by Denise, Earl and Jenny. Hope to see you there!

Event--Book Signing Tomorrow

I want to thank Denise, Earl and Jenny  as well as the staff of Lucky Dog Books on Garland Road in Dallas for setting this up to help our family. It means so much to all of us. Earl is coming here to pick me up and drive me so that I can be there. I hope you will be there too.

Event: Book Signing on Sunday, April 28, 2013

On behalf of our family a big thank you to Earl Staggs, Jenny Milchman, Denise Weeks and Lucky Dog Books for making this event possible. We are all very humbled and grateful.

Interesting Reading Elsewhere--- Denise Weeks

If you are not reading Denise Weeks' blog you should be. Especially since she has as her guest Janis Patterson who is talking about her new mystery book BEADED TO DEATH as well as a lot of other good stuff.

Go look as it is well worth your time.


Kevin

Press Release: "NICE WORK" by Denise Weeks

NICE WORK by Denise Weeks won the Oak Tree Press First Mystery Novel contest in 2011 and is now available from Oak Tree Press at the end of July 2012.  A traditional mystery with an edge, NICE WORK is the first book in the Jacquidon "Snoop Sisters" Carroll series.  Jacquidon Carroll could've killed her boss when he downsized her--or so the police think.  Can she and her sister find the real killer in the maze of BDSM clubs and secret societies that her (ex-)boss turns out to have been involved in before it's too late?  No explicit stuff--everything's played for laughs.  It's a "Snoop Sisters" sort of romp like Anne George's Southern Sisters series.  The book will go live on Amazon and will be orderable at any bookstore (Barnes and Noble, for example) by July 27th.  Right now, there's a direct link to the pre-order special that's on the Oak Tree Press sales site--a special for $12 with free shipping.

Follow the progress of NICE WORK, the novel that won the 2012 Oak Tree Press Mystery Contest and is scheduled for release in the late fall of 2012, and the development of its author, Denise Weeks:
http://deniseweeks.blogspot.com/

Follow the blog of NICE WORK's main characters, Jacquidon and Chantal Carroll:
http://jackiesjotting.blogspot.com/

Shalanna Collins' book blog (for my YA fantasy and literary work):
http://shalannacollins.blogspot.com/

Webpage listing all my books (Shalanna Collins and Denise Weeks):
http://tinyurl.com/bvffdml

My personal journal (not book-related, mostly whimsy):
http://shalanna.livejournal.com/

Obligatory sales pitch--get the book at a discount price of $12 when you pre-order at our Oak Tree Press Direct site! 366 pgs trade paper and FREE SHIPPING for this special offer! Books will be delivered first week in August. This is before Amazon or any other link goes live. If you buy and email me, I'll send autographed bookplate. If you review it on Amazon, you'll get a code for another FREE Oak Tree Press book (no, REALLY, courtesy of my adored publisher!) You can't lose!

Page down to the N section (NICE WORK by Denise Weeks)--about 24 PAGEDOWN keystrokes and use the BUY NOW button (DON'T WORRY about retail price listed--your price is $12 for special early bird friends deal that I have worked out with publisher!)

Or you could try the "free read" of three chapters that another promotional site has up.

The Book Pre-Ordered for $12
http://www.oaktreebooks.com/Shop%20OTP.htm
Free Read of First Three Chapters in PDF Form
http://www.manicreaders.com/index.cfm?disp=bookdetail&bookid=26189

Obligatory sales pitch over!!

Denise Weeks has been writing since she could hold a crayon.  She graduated from Southern Methodist University with bachelor's degrees in computer science and in mathematics (with a minor in English); she worked as a software engineer for several years.  All the while she was scribbling, scribbling.

She has worked as a software weenie, soft-serve cone maker at Dairy Queen (she perfected that little twirl on the top of the dipped cone), and secondary school math tutor.  Her favorite foods are curried yak, chocolate, and French fries. She knows (but is not telling) a plethora of alchemical and occult secrets. Homeland Security has identified her as a person of interest.  (Okay, just kidding.  She doesn't really eat curried yak.)  She is currently at work on yet another novel.

She and her husband live happily in a northern suburb of Dallas, Texas, with their two beloved pets:  a yappy Pomeranian and Denise's elderly mother.

Denise Weeks/Shalanna Collins