Today’s blog comes from Elaine Faber, a mystery writer from California. Her Mrs. Odboddy series covers mysterious happenings during World War II and features a whacky, older woman who manages to get involved in strange things. Much of her incidents have a basis in fact. I’ll let her tell you about that. Elaine is a member of Sisters in Crime, Northern CA Publishers and Authors, and Cat Writers Association.

Elaine’s latest cozy mystery novel, Mrs. Odboddy’s Desperate Doings takes place in No. CA during WWII as Agnes Odboddy faces rationing, fear of enemy invasion, and food shortages. In addition, she is discouraged about her inability to locate a zoo to take Shere Khan, the displaced carnival tiger she rescued from her last adventure, Mrs. Odboddy And Then There was a Tiger.

When she falls from a tree and suffers a head injury, her usual eccentric notions increase. But when she adamantly accuses the local doctor of stealing a well-known War Artist’s painting, and The Lord’s Shepherd lithograph from the church, folks wonder if her head injury is responsible for increasingly irrational behavior, or is it dementia? For a raucous adventure with an absurdly funny elderly sleuth, you can’t miss with Mrs. Odboddy’s Desperate Doings.

Though Mrs. Odboddy’s Desperate Doings is a completely fictional novel, certain elements of the story are based on true events and circumstances. Agnes and I have somewhat altered dates and certain locations for the purpose of her involvement in these events. The characters, Bernard Plockhorst and Edward Reep, are real. Though the remaining characters are figments of my imagination, they have become some of my best friends!

The following events, circumstances, and characters are found in the storyline as Agnes deals with the unnerving events following her fall from the apple tree.

ZOO EUTHANAZIA   During WWII, many USA zoos closed due to personnel shortages but mostly due to the lack of an adequate food supply needed to sustain the animals. Poor nutrition led to the death of many large animals and many more were euthanized due to the inability to properly care for and feed them. In no circumstance would an existing zoo take on a displaced carnival tiger. In such a case, the animal would likely have been euthanized. Shere Khan’s plight in this novel, is therefore, based in fact.

THE GOOD SHEPHERD PAINTING   Bernhard Plockhorst is most famous for the painting of The Good Shepherd shown with a staff in one hand and a lamb in the other. He also painted the famous picture of the guardian angel watching over two children as they traversed along a dangerous cliff. His image of the face of Christ is the most accepted rendering of Christ’s likeness in the Christian Church. Plockhorst was from Germany, famous during the latter part of the 1800. Copies of his paintings are in practically every Christian church and many USA homes.

EDWARD REEP, a California resident and water color artist, became a photographer and combat artist for the United States Army during WWII. Widely publicized in newspapers and magazines, Reep’s poignant war-time depictions made him popular with the public before and after the war. He was awarded a Guggenheim Fellowship to help finance his pursuit of art due to his outstanding contributions to war art

JAPANESE SUBMARINES  In 1942, the Japanese navy dispatched submarines to the USA along the western coastline from Oregon to the Aleutians. Along with several other incidents, they successfully shelled a lighthouse near Vancouver Island, WA, and torpedoed and shelled a freighter off Cape Flattery, WA. The freighter was towed to safety with no loss of life. Though a factual event, the date and location of this event was altered somewhat in our story for purposes of involving Agnes and fictionalizing the event.

For a raucous adventure with an absurdly funny elderly sleuth, you can’t miss with Mrs. Odboddy’s Desperate Doings.

Available at Amazon: E-book. Mrs. Odboddy’s Desperate Doings is at https://tinyurl.com/5xah4cnt    For an autographed and discounted paperback, contact Elaine directly.

And please leave a comment.  Thanks.

jim

The second Magnolia Bluff Crime Chronicles has now been published.  Number two is Eulogy in Black and White by Caleb Pirtle and is now available on Amazon. I’ve read it and can honestly recommend it.

In the beautiful town of Magnolia Bluff in the Texas Hill Country, May 23 is a day to be feared. For the last eight years an unsolved murder of a well known citizen has happened on May 23.  Eight years, eight murders, zero arrests, zero suspects, and zero convictions.

As the date comes closer and closer, there is mounting tension in Magnolia Bluff. Most citizens don’t talk about it. But it’s on their minds, everyone’s. A school principal, a judge, an Army recruiter, the publisher of the local newspaper, a coach, a small-time crook,  and others. No real connection. Each murder different. Each corpse dealt with differently. Each detail different.

But no one doubts the eight murders were the work of one person, one citizen of Magnolia Bluff against another citizen. Will there be a ninth this year? Or has the murderer satisfied his need, or moved to another town?

And yet, all members of this small town, down deep, when no one’s around, fears — and believes this May 23 will find another unsolved murder, another dead citizen of the Bluff

Pirtle has crafted a fascinating story and in spite of the legacy of death, it is not a dark or disturbing story. We know the ninth murder will happen. We hope it will be solved. But how? By whom? Why were the nine selected? What ties them all together? And can we solve it before Pirtle reveals it?

Take a look. You won’t be the victim. But perhaps you’ll solve this murder and bring peace to Magnolia Bluff, even on May 23.  On Amazon at  https://amzn.to/3wRlK6J

You love it.

jim

Aliens, legal and otherwise, long have been an issue of concern in the news.

But it didn’t start yesterday, nor at the southern border.

Many people brag about the “legal” entry of their ancestors with only folklore knowledge of how they actually came and limited knowledge of the history of the naturalization process.

In fact, for much of the 18th and 19th centuries, naturalization required only residency and an oath of allegiance with no test for knowledge of civics or American history. It wasn’t until 1875 that regulation of immigration became a federal responsibility. Ability to speak and understand English wasn’t even required until 1906.

I was aware mine operators in Pennsylvania’s anthracite coal region utilized agencies to recruit labor in eastern Europe in the 19th Century. This was not an altruistic attempt to help the poor but rather a means of finding cheap labor to compete with the rise of unions on the domestic scene. When I discovered these same agencies were also used to recruit women to work in other industries it planted the germ of the story that became By Strangers Mourned.

As still happens today, aliens seeking a better life in the United States often become victims rather than a threat.

Human trafficking continues to be a complex global issue. Statistics show 66 percent of profits derive from exploitation of women and children in the sex trades, though it only accounts for 10 percent of human trafficking. Imagine how much worse it may have been without all the watchdog agencies fighting against it today?

Here’s the blurb for By Strangers Mourned:

Spring is usually heralded as a time of renewal, not murder.

Preparations are underway in the spring of 1899 for the wedding of Deputy Cyrus Gutshall. Sheriff Tilghman is hopeful this will put his sweetheart Lydia Longlow in the marital mood.

But then a woman is found drowned in a local creek.

Doc Mariner’s autopsy reveals the woman is a victim of foul play. The sheriff’s investigation soon puts him on the trail of a mysterious man named Bauer and a gang preying on young immigrant women.

One of the women escapes her captors and comes to their small town in search of help. A coal miner she encounters, a fellow Pole, brings her to Tilghman and helps translate the story of her ordeal. The girl is befriended and sheltered by a coworker of Lydia’s, an act of kindness that puts both young women in danger.

Sylvester Tilghman will need all his detecting skills and the help of his friends to unravel the many skeins of the case before he can dream again of marriage.

By Strangers Mourned is available in print and electronic formats from the publisher https://www.sunburypress.com/collections/all-books/products/by-strangers-mourned?variant=40045793575005

From Amazon https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B09Z7GCX49/ref=dbs_a_def_rwt_hsch_vapi_tkin_p1_i0

J. R. Lindermuth lives and writes in central Pennsylvania. A retired newspaper editor, he currently serves as librarian of his county historical society where he assists patrons with genealogy and research. He’s the author of 18 novels and two regional histories. He is a member of International Thriller Writers and is a past vice president of the Short Mystery Fiction Society.

Please leave a comment either on this history of aliens, or the book By Strangers Mourned.

Thanks,  jim

Last week, this blog featured a post by CW Hawes on the Magnolia Bluff Chronicles, a series of nine books, each written by a different author.  The first of those books, Death Wears a Crimson Hat, by C.W. Hawes, will be published next week.

But I want to add a little bit to last week’s discussion on this different type anthology.  First, the nine authors engaged in this anthology series come from the U.S. and Canada and Mexico.  So, there are no “in-person” meetings – except if we consider zoom meetings as “in-person.” And perhaps zoom-like meetings are the new “in-person” meetings.

Hawes mentioned that we decided to make the unifying factor a small Texas town in the Hill Country.  That sounds simple, and I thought that – before we accomplished it.  But, nine writers imply nine different takes on … well, most everything.  The placement of the town was the first decision. Next, the size – how small or how large. And then the name. Ah, that deserved some negotiation. Done.

Not quite. What makes up the town? If our books are to cover the same town, what establishments in the town do each of us need? This took some time. Until each writer had an idea of what his or her book will cover and what town points of interest will be needed, the list was incomplete. Those items (police station, church, various eating establishments, courthouse, etc.) came in slowly, as each author began to outline or produce.

The plan Is to publish one book in the series each month, beginning in April 2022 and ending in December 2022. Fortunately, the various months people wanted produced no problems.

Of course, the characters that each book added would be available for all succeeding books. At the same time, if a character were eliminated (killed, moved out of town, or for that matter, just put in a wheelchair), the author needed to let those whose books follow be aware of the change. Wouldn’t be good for Bob to get killed in book 3 of the series, and then have book 5 feature that same Bob. Unless … (Any supernaturals here?)

There will be landmarks, stores, monuments, etc. in the town. Many of those will be added by various authors. The other writers need to be kept aware of how the town landscape changes – to either use it, or not be impacted by it. A working map needed to be produced so we all knew just where things belonged.  Ugh. That was (and still is) difficult.

And to help the visual appeal of the series, the covers need to fulfill two requirements. First, there needs to be some unifying element so that the nine book covers look like they belong in one series. And second, each cover needs to reflect that particular author’s book. Yes, this is a series. But each book will be one author’s book: reflect his story (and be a standalone book for the reader). There were a number of zoom discussions on the cover. Let’s hope we got that right.

And so, with many of those complications solved and others worked as we move along, the Magnolia Bluff Chronicles series hits the press – actually, the Amazon sales page, – next week.  Each story is unique to the particular author, but gives the reader a comprehensive look at the small town of Magnolia Bluff and a chance to solve the murder mystery before “The End.”

What do you think about this type anthology?  Will it work?

jim

I’m a member of a group of writers – called the Underground Writers.  We are in the midst of a different kind of anthology.  Here is a post from CW Hawes, one of the members of this unusual project. I think you’ll enjoy this.

Magnolia Bluff Crime Chronicles

The Chronicles of Barsetshire by Anthony Trollope was the first novel series in English.

Trollope had not intended writing a series, but after writing The Warden and Barchester Towers, he found himself returning again and again to the English county of Barsetshire that he had created. And thus, the novel series was born.

The Chronicles is a set of six loosely related novels all set in the imaginary county of Barsetshire. The novels can easily be read as a standalone. However, they share a core set of characters, along with the town of Barchester and its environs.

In April of last year, I was at a virtual writers conference and learned of the multi-author book series. Immediately, I thought of Trollope and Barchester.

I proposed the idea of a multi-author series to my fellow Underground Authors, and nine of us were able to work the project into our schedules.

We then had to come up with a unifying factor, something that would hold the series together. After much discussion, and taking a cue from Trollope, we created the town of Magnolia Bluff, set in the beautiful Texas Hill Country.

Each of our books would be set in Magnolia Bluff. We’d have our own key characters as major players in our individual book, but we’d also make use of each other’s characters as we saw fit. And while each story would be as individual as the author who wrote it, the town of Magnolia Bluff would be there to hold together our diverse imaginations.

In effect, this was a riff on the approach we took with our short story anthology Beyond the Sea. There, each author used the same picture as inspiration for his or her story. And we got a dozen very different tales.

We hadn’t planned on crime also being a unifying factor. That just happened. We came up with stories that all involved murder, and thus, the Magnolia Bluff Crime Chronicles was born.

So how does a multi-author series work? Don’t things get messed up?

Well, they certainly could. But we derailed that problem by making sure we talked to each other so that we were all on the same page regarding geography and how we portrayed each other’s characters.

There has to be a spirit of community and cooperation, while at the same time maintaining our individual voices. Every step of the way we’ve hashed out issues and problems, coming to a consensus. It helps to have a project-first attitude, as well.

I have to say, if you like murder mysteries that have you scratching your head trying to solve the puzzle, and that keep you awake at night due to the suspense, as well as tickle your funny bone — then you were going to love these books.

CW Hawes is a playwright, award-winning poet, and a fictioneer; as well as an armchair philosopher, political theorist, and social commentator. He loves a good cup of tea and agrees that everything’s better with pizza.

Please leave a comment. What do you think about this “anthology?” And would you like to hear more about how this concept works? Just let me know.
Thanks.  jim

I know. That sounds like an April Fool’s Day joke —

But it’s true.  And I’ll start off with a very brief blog courtesy of Fonda Lee, a Canadian author outlining a great resort.

     I’d like to go to a luxury resort

     where instead of golf and tennis

     courts, there’s a gorgeous library

     with crackling fires and the

     comfiest  chairs and servers

     bring you drinks and canapes

     while you read all day long.

Next week, an important blog you won’t want to miss.  Thanks for your time today and I hope I’ll see you next week.

jim

Recently, I was giving a talk on plotting. And when I came to the topic of sub-plots a lively discussion ensued.  Some felt any book that was called a novel had to have a subplot.  That was countered by some who felt that you should avoid sub-plots altogether. A few felt that subplots were there to beef up the word count. And others felt that was exactly why you should avoid subplots; they were a distraction from the main plot.

I called a halt and offered these guidelines for sub-plots.

1. It is a sub-plot. Therefore, it is sub (subordinate to, under, below, beneath) the main plot.  It is second fiddle. So on all levels, it must remain secondary.  It must not crowd the main plot for space or attention.

But, it is a plot.  Therefore, it needs the elements of a plot.  It must have a beginning, a middle, and an end.  It needs an arc.  It cannot coast along at the same level from start to finish.  And it is an important part of any plot, sub or main, that someone (or more than one) must change.  Keep in mind that person could be the reader. If you can change the attitude or mindset of the reader, that is a change, and much more difficult to achieve than changing a character in the book.

2. It must satisfy at least one of these two criteria.

• It must add to the reader’s understanding of the setting, the surroundings, the texture of the story. In my book Cleansed by Fire, the subplot involving a mysterious character close to the drug scene gives the reader a feel for the texture of the town, that is, the drug problem in the small town. Without my preaching about the problem, the Earl subplot makes it clear.
• It must give the reader a clearer understanding of one or more characters in the story, preferably the protagonist. A well-crafted subplot can allow the author to define the protagonist without “telling.”  It is an excellent vehicle for “showing” the reader the true nature of the protagonist without “telling.” Using the same example above, Earl allowed me to bring out a number of characteristics of the protagonist without “telling.”

So, in the example I have given, a subplot served two important jobs.

But what about the question: subplot or not. Subplots can improve a book. Subplots can help the author with two important areas: help define the texture of the story, and help the reader better understand certain characters – and in a way that works well for the author.

If you can use a subplot to accomplish one or both of the two conditions above, then by all means add a subplot.  If the subplot is used simply to bulk up the book, add words, get in something that you, the author, wants to say that is not necessary to the story, then leave it out.

I’d be happy to hear your comments about subplots, whether you agree with me or not, or would like to add another condition, or advantage, for having a sub-plot.  Thanks for reading this blog. It first appeared as my guest blog on Karin Beery’s site in the last half of September 2021.

jim

Something has attacked The Author’s Blog and deleted all blogs since the middle of May, 2021.  I’m trying to find and reinstall them, but so far, not much luck.  Stay tuned.

In the meantime, I’m working on a free course for writers – take a look.

I’m making good progress on it – and already I’m able to put most of it into practice.  I’ll let you know when I finish it — if I can find the time to write.

And, if you have time, leave a comment on this course designed for creative writers.

jim