Guest Post: Defining a Series by Judy Penz Sheluk

 
Please welcome back author Judy Penz Sheluk to the bog today.  

 

Defining a Series by Judy Penz Sheluk

 

Defining a series is important, if for no other reason than to inform the reader of what they can expect, and it’s especially important if an author has more than one series. Are they the same? Or has your favorite cozy author veered into darker territory, maybe tried their hand at sci-fi or paranormal?

Back in 2019 at Left Coast Crime Vancouver, I was invited to be a participant in a “speed dating” author event, basically pairs of authors, each with two minutes to woo a tableful of readers. My partner in crime that day was the renowned cozy writer, Vicki Delany (who also writes as Eva Gates).

Being paired with such esteemed company was nerve wracking, to say the least. And while my Glass Dolphin series is decidedly cozy: an amateur sleuth (an antiques shop owner and a journalist who becomes a partner in the antiques shop business), set in the requisite small town, I needed something to set me apart from Vicki and the rest of the cozy authors in the room. I decided to define the series as “cozy mysteries without the cats, crafts, or cookie recipes.” It was catchy enough to work, and I’ve kept that definition to this day.

Defining my Marketville mystery series was a bit more difficult. Still leaning to the cozy side—no overt violence, sex, or bad language—but told in the first person, with slightly more ambitious plots, an amateur-turned professional sleuth, and cases that delved deep into the past. Work with that, I thought, and after a lot of mulling over, I had the answer: Cold Case Cozies.

Before There Were Skeletons, my latest Marketville book and the fourth in the series, finds my protagonist, Calamity (Callie) Barnstable hired to find a woman who disappeared in 1995. As Callie begins her investigation, she learns of two other missing persons cases, young women who disappeared in the same small town within weeks of one another. Coincidence? Callie doesn’t think so. Her client isn’t as sure. The last thing she wants is Callie investigating those cases on her dime. They come to an agreement, Callie and the client, but there are some tense moments before they do. Then there’s the two cold cases from 1978 that have Callie facing the skeletons of her mother’s past. But I’m getting ahead of myself here…

And yes, you guessed it. There’s not a cat, craft, or cookie recipe to be found. Maybe next book. After all, I have nothing against cats or crafts, and I’ve never tasted a cookie I didn’t like (okay, maybe gingerbread, I really don’t get gingerbread). I guess time will tell.

 

About Before There Were Skeletons

The last time anyone saw Veronica Goodman was the night of February 14, 1995, the only clue to her disappearance a silver heart-shaped pendant, found in the parking lot behind the bar where she worked. Twenty-seven years later, Veronica’s daughter, Kate, just a year old when her mother vanished, hires Past & Present Investigations to find out what happened that fateful night.

Calamity (Callie) Barnstable is drawn to the case, the similarities to her own mother’s disappearance on Valentine’s Day 1986 hauntingly familiar. A disappearance she thought she’d come to terms with. Until Veronica’s case, and five high school yearbooks, take her back in time…a time before there were skeletons. 

Amazon Associate Purchase Link: https://amzn.to/3AeLbF8

  

Judy Penz Sheluk ©2022

A former journalist and magazine editor, Judy Penz Sheluk is the bestselling author of two mystery series: The Glass Dolphin Mysteries and the Marketville Mysteries. Her short crime fiction appears in several collections, including the Superior Shores Anthologies, which she also edited.

Judy is a member of Sisters in Crime, International Thriller Writers, the Short Mystery Fiction Society, and Crime Writers of Canada, where she served as Chair on the Board of Directors. A longtime resident of York Region, she now makes her home in Northern Ontario, on the shores of Lake Superior. Find her at judypenzsheluk.com.

Buried Under Books Review: Past and Present by Judy Penz Sheluk

Buried Under Books Review: Past and Present by Judy Penz Sheluk

Buried Under Books Audio Book Review: Skeletons in the Attic by Judy Penz Sheluk

Buried Under Books Audio Book Review: Skeletons in the Attic by Judy Penz Sheluk

Travels With Kaye: Guest Judy Penz Sheluk with news about an upcoming relase!

Travels With Kaye: Guest Judy Penz Sheluk with news about an upcoming relase!

Guest Post: Judy Penz Sheluk on "Fine Tuning Your Manuscript"

It has been awhile since Judy was here with a guest post. She is back today discussing how, no matter how much you try to make the read perfect, an error can slip through the system.

Judy Penz Sheluk: Fine Tuning Your Manuscript

In my day job, I’m the Senior Editor of New England Antiques Journal a position I’ve held for close to a decade. I’ve done plenty of other editing work as well. I like to think I’m good at it.

But that’s other people’s work. Even editors need to find another set (or more) of eyes to review their manuscripts. With my short stories, I go to my husband, Mike, as the first (and usually last) line of attack—and I do mean attack. There isn’t a plot hole, no matter how minute, that Mike won’t find.

With my first novel, The Hanged Man’s Noose, I hired a developmental editor, and a copy editor. It was an expense (though I did shop around and get references) but I treated it as an educational experience, like a semester in college if you will. I don’t believe Noose would have ever seen publication without the expertise of those editors. And yes, I learned a lot.

With my second novel, Skeletons in the Attic, I relied on two beta readers as a first step. One is a professional proofreader, the other is a voracious reader of mysteries. As expected, the proofreader found a lot of the niggly stuff (missing commas, too many commas), while the voracious reader was quick to point out flaws in my characters’ actions. Once those revisions were incorporated, I had the manuscript printed and cerlox-bound for Mike. He likes to read in paper format and write notes in the margins. Let’s just say there were a lot of notes.

So you’d think every single mistake would have been found, right? Wrong. When my publisher for Skeletons assigned an editor, Todd Barselow, he managed to find a few more mistakes (although he did say the manuscript was very clean, which made me feel a little bit better). Here’s one example:

Callie Barnstable to Royce Ashford, contractor/next-door neighbor/possible love interest: “I really like the way you knocked down that wall in your house.”

Editor: When was she in his house? [Answer: in a previous draft, but certainly not in this one]

Once Todd and I completed three rounds of editing, the manuscript went to a proofreader before going into print and e-book formats. Let’s do the math: two beta readers, one very critical husband, one professional editor, three rounds of edits, one professional proofreader, one author involved every step of the way.

And yet…in Chapter 39, you’ll find this priceless treasure: Casual attire only. Shorts and t-shits or jeans and sweatshirts, depending on the temperature. That’s right. T-shits. It’s a new fashion trend, don’t you know?

ABOUT SKELETONS IN THE ATTIC

What goes on behind closed doors doesn’t always stay there…

Calamity (Callie) Barnstable isn’t surprised to learn she’s the sole beneficiary of her late father’s estate, though she is shocked to discover she has inherited a house in the town of Marketville—a house she didn’t know existed. However, there are conditions attached to Callie’s inheritance: she must move to Marketville, live in the house, and solve her mother’s murder.

Callie’s not keen on dredging up a thirty-year-old mystery, but if she doesn’t do it, there’s a scheming psychic named Misty Rivers who is more than happy to expose the Barnstable family secrets. Determined to thwart Misty and fulfill her father’s wishes, Callie accepts the challenge. But is she ready to face the skeletons hidden in the attic?

Judy Penz Sheluk ©2017

Judy Penz Sheluk’s debut mystery novel, The Hanged Man’s Noose, was published in July 2015. Skeletons in the Attic, the first book in her Marketville Mystery Series, was published in August 2016. Judy’s short crime fiction appears several anthologies.

Judy is a member of Sisters in Crime, Crime Writers of Canada, International Thriller Writers and the Short Mystery Fiction Society.

Find Judy on her website/blog at www.judypenzsheluk.com where she interviews other authors and blogs about the writing life.

The Kindle version of SKELETONS IN THE ATTIC is on sale for $1.99 (reg. $4.99) through March 15^th.  http://getbook.at/SkeletonsintheAttic

Look for SKELETONS IN THE ATTIC in audiobook format, coming soon!