CRIME ON MY MIND

You're all invited!


In my pre-published writer days, I'd often hear my published friends make comments about each new launch of their latest titles. Comments like, friends being called on so often to come out to these, all that planning..., will my books be out in time?, and, it's as exciting with each new book.

Well, they're right. With the launch of Read and Buried, the second in the Ashton Corners Book Club mysteries coming up on Tues., Dec. 4th...I've caught myself thinking many of those thoughts. In duplicate because prior to the Ottawa launch, Joan Boswell and I are holding a launch in Toronto at the North York Public Library on Sun., Dec. 2, 2-4 p.m. So, double the planning but it's all fun, especially doing it with Joan. She'll also be launching her latest mystery, the fourth in the Hollis Grant series, Cut to the Bone, at both events.

Many Ottawans will know Joan because she lived her for many years while her kids were growing up. Although her primary residence these days is in Toronto, we enjoy her company in Ottawa for many months of the year. She's also a member of The Ladies' Killing Circle and we can be a dangerous bunch of gals.

Two more events are on the Dec. schedule. The first is the Merry Mystery evening at Sleuth of Baker Street, 907 Millwood Rd. in Toronto on Sat. Dec. 1, 5-7 p.m. The second is at Books on Beechwood in Ottawa, 35 Beechwood, on Thurs., Dec. 13, 6-8 p.m. for Murder, Mayhem and Mistletoe. Both will feature six mystery authors signing and schmoozing...a great way to stock up for Christmas giving.

Hectic is one way to describe it all. A blast, is another. Hope to see you at one of these. The Ottawa launch is Tues. Dec. 4, 7-9 p.m. at Library and Archives Canada, 395 Wellington St., Room A. There will be refreshments, a donation wine bar by the Friends of Library and Archives, and books for sale by Books on Beechwood.

We'll have the murder, mayhem and mysteries...sorry, no mistletoe.

Linda Wiken/Erika Chase

READ and BURIED,
Berkley Prime Crime,now available
A KILLER READ
also available
www.erikachase.com

WICKED WEDNESDAYS

The Next Big Thing continues....

It's my turn today! On Monday, Mary Jane Maffini took The Next Big Thing challenge. Today, it's Erika Chase on board! I was invited to take part in this blog circle by my good friend and fellow mystery writer Barbara Fradkin. It’s sort of a ‘tell five friends’ thing. These questions funneled down from our friend Vicki Delany. You can find Barbara over at www.typem4murder.blogspot.com and Vicki at www.klondikeandtrafalgar.blogspot.com.


The Next Big Thing:


What is your working title of your book?
The third book in the Ashton Corners Book Club mysteries is titled COVER STORY and it’s due out early next fall.

Where did the idea come from for the book?
My often-overactive imagination. I’ve been wanting to introduce a ‘colourful’ Southern gal to the mix and I think I’ve found her in Teensy Coldicutt, an old school friend of Molly Mathews who returns to town after many years away, having written her first novel, which she describes as a modern Gone With the Wind. When asked what she’s done about the civil war component, Teensy states she’s compensated with a lot of steamy sex. (Don’t worry….she never reads from these scenes!)

What genre does your book fall under?
Cosy mystery.

Which actors would you choose to play your characters in a movie rendition?
I’d love a slightly younger (sorry, Sandra) Sandra Bullock to play Lizzie Turner, the teaching specialist who starts the book club and is the main character. Still casting for Lizzie’s love interest, Police Chief Mark Dreyfus. I see Candace Bergen as Molly Mathews and Nicholas Campbell would make the perfect Bob Miller.

What is the one-sentence synopsis of your book?
The upcoming book launch of Teensy Coldicutt’s first novel unleashes a plot to steal the books, leading to assault, murder, counterfeit money and general mayhem for the Ashton Corners Book Club sleuths.

Will your book be self-published or represented by an agency?
The publisher of the series is Berkley Prime Crime, part of the Penguin Group. I’m represented by Bookends Literary Agency.

How long did it take you to write the first draft of your manuscript?
I’m on a nine-month deadline with each book so I’d probably say it took about 5 months for the first draft. Or so.

What other books would you compare this story to within your genre?
Books by fellow Berkley authors Mary Jane Maffini, Janet Bolin, Victoria Hamilton – all Canadians, too!

Who or what inspired you to write this book?
My contract. And, as I mentioned earlier, the desire to create a colourful new character.

What else about your book might pique the reader's interest?
Each character presents his or her own reading list, offering possible new suggestions for the reader. If you enjoy mystery books, this is the book club for you!

We’ve been asked to link to five other writers but, writers being writers, most are busy writing. I’d love you to visit Victoria Hamilton’s site, though. It’s at http://www.victoriahamiltonmysteries.com. Enjoy this new cosy series!

Linda Wiken/Erika Chase

A KILLER READ
Berkley Prime Crime, now available
READ and BURIED, coming Dec., 2012, available for pre-order
www.erikachase.com

MAYHEM ON MONDAYS

Welcome back, Mary Jane! -- Mystery Maven

It’s been almost a year since I’ve been here at Mystery Maven and I’m really glad to be back in this celebration of Canadian mysteries and Canadian mystery writers.


Today I would like to lead you into The Next Big Thing: which involves answering ten questions about my work in progress, although I have to call it our work in progress as it’s a collaboration with my daughter, Victoria. We are writing as

Victoria Abbott. The Christie Curse, the first in the book collector mystery series, will hit the stands on March 6 and we are already working on the second book. We love talking about our latest project.

These questions come from our friend, Barbara Fradkin (and before that from Vicki Delany). You can find Barbara over at www.typem4murder.blogspot.com and Vicki at www.klondikeandtrafalgar.blogspot.com. Both are always well worth reading!

So here are the Q’s followed by our A’s.

What is your working title of your book?

The Sayers Swindle is the second in the Book Collectors series, following The Christie Curse, which debuts in March 2013.

Where did the idea come from for the book?

The idea came from a discussion with my editor and agent followed much evil plotting with my collaborator and daughter, Victoria Maffini and the addition of one cat and one pug. I have always been interested in the unexplained disappearance of Agatha Christie in 1926, a disappearance that is still shrouded in mystery. Of course, that would have to be connected with the idea of a newly discovered manuscript, possibly an unknown Christie, the idea that drives the book. Did Agatha have time to write a play in those few days? What collector wouldn’t salivate over such a manuscript if she had? Oh yes, it might be deliciously dangerous.


What genre does your book fall under?

It seems like a good example of a cozy mystery, a sub-genre we both love. If there was a sub-sub-genre of humorous cozy with rare books, mysterious manuscripts, valuable antiques, vintage clothes, criminal relatives and cats with really sharp claws, it would be a really really good example of that.

Which actors would you choose to play your characters in a movie rendition?

We’d see the remarkable Ellen Page as Jordan Bingham, our protagonist, Mary Walsh as Vera Van Alst, Ryan Gosling as the spectacularly hot reference librarian, Lance DeWitt, and David Paetkau (that’s handsome Sam from Flashpoint)as Officer Tyler(Smiley) Dekker, Mark Critch as Uncle Mick of Michael Kelly’s Fine Antiques, Kevin O’Leary (in a rare non-speaking part) as Uncle Lucky, and Sean Cullen (in a never-shutting up part) as Uncle Danny. Other uncles are on the way and last but not in the least least, Elvira Kurtz as Senora Fiammetta Panetone.

We’re not sure if there’s a career in casting ahead for us.

What is the one-sentence synopsis of your book?

Missing first editions of Dorothy L Sayers classics, lead to mayhem, murder, mud, mutts and more for Jordan Bingham, book sleuth and reliable dogsbody of reclusive collector Vera Van Alst, the most hated woman in Harrison Falls, New York.

Will your book be self-published or represented by an agency?

We are represented by BookEnds Literary Agency and published by Berkley Prime Crime.

How long did it take you to write the first draft of your manuscript?

We’re half-way through the second book. We expect it to take six months or more in total, but that doesn’t include advance planning, intense plotting and re-reading all those wonderful Dorothy L. Sayers books. I’m in the middle of Busman’s Honeymoon now.

What other books would you compare this story to within your genre?

I think it is like cozy mysteries, like Erika Chase’s Ashton Corners series (we think you might know her). There’s a lot about relationships, books, especially mysteries, friendships, food, a bit of romance and of course, the pesky bodies.

Who or what inspired you to write this book?

The love of classic mysteries was the big thing. The authors Agatha Christie and Dorothy L Sayers created works that continue to entertain today and they changed the face of crime fiction. In the course of writing the books, we learned a lot about the two amazing woman who shaped the modern mystery.

What else about your book might pique the reader's interest?

Well, who doesn’t like a magnificent old house, a library full of collectible books, a bi-polar Siamese cat, vintage clothing and jewelry, a pampered pug, Italian food, a bit of romance, some crooked relatives and a few recipes? Never mind the grumpy boss. Nothing’s perfect.

We were supposed to send you forward to five other mystery authors, but (true story!) our five mystery authors have been kidnapped by aliens and so couldn’t take part in time. Never mind, I’ll tell you about their books in this and other blogs as the year wears on. I look forward to it.


Mary Jane Maffini rides herd on three (soon to be three and a half) mystery series and a couple of dozen short stories. Look for the new Victoria Abbott website starting on Wednesday - www.victoria-abbott.com

CRIME ON MY MIND

One of those days...

Well, maybe it's been one of those weeks so TGIF!

I'm seriously considering having a computer-free weekend. I would have made it today, Friday but realized I have this blog plus another commitment that requires the computer. My reason -- I'd really love to have a stress-free day in my life.

I know I've ranted (very recently, too) about my electronics woes. Well, they have continued. I've just bailed two computers out of the service centre which leaves me wondering, what did we spend our money on in those days when we didn't have computers, iPads, iPhones, iWhatevers?

Ah, but the tale continues. Time to whip up a new bookmark and also update Erika's website. Bad move, trying to do them both at the same time. Added stress.

Question -- what sound does a writer make when nothing uploads to a site? You don't want to know. Bad enough I was having trouble with one site but to have the second one be uncooperative at the same time -- total, major stress.

And, having both computers in the shop meant, what to write on? Ok, I could do it the old longhand way and I do know writers who do their, or her in this case, first draft in longhand. But I have this problem of not being able to read my writing after the first two paragraphs or so. May this added a bit of stress, too.

My computer also let me know that Douglas & McIntyre has thrown in the towel. That's another very savvy, very respected Canadian publisher that's out of the picture. However, I refuse to take the gloom & doom road. It's not a bleak picture, it's just in transition. I'm hoping with all fingers and toes crossed that publishers and booksellers are adjusting to the changing market and by doing so, will eventually (note this word!) result in a stronger platform for the writers!

Time will tell and I'm sure I'll find out on the internet. Because although I need a break from this stressful world, it does have it's benefits. I did receive a very nice email from a reader today!

Maybe, it's time for a holiday!!

Linda Wiken/Erika Chase

A KILLER READ
Berkley Prime Crime, now available
READ and BURIED, coming Dec., 2012, available for pre-order
www.erikachase.com

WICKED WEDNESDAYS

New tricks for an old dog

Writers are creative multi-taskers; we are often promoting one book while doing final edits on the second and brainstorming the first draft of yet a third. The wheels of the publishing world move very slowly and unless we are a couple of spins ahead, there will be long gaps between books.

Thus it is that I find myself writing the initial chapters of the tenth – tenth!! – Inspector Green mystery before the ninth has even hit the bookshelves. The Whisper of Legends is due out in April 2013, and I am thinking about launches, book tours, signings, appearances and all that fun stuff. But lest there be another two-year gap between books, I am also preparing the next book for submission to the acquisitions editor. With my new publisher, this process includes writing a dreaded synopsis. Every writer’s nightmare.

The challenge for me is that I have always written without an outline or any clear idea of where I’m going, what’s going to happen and how it will all be resolved (including whodunit). Difficult to write a synopsis when you don’t know the plot. When I absolutely could not get out of writing a synopsis, I did it after the book was written.

However, an interesting thing happened to me on the way to this new book. I wrote two Rapid Reads easy-read novels for another publisher. Quite a different writing process and style! These books are short, linear and chronological. For the submission process, three opening chapters and a detailed chapter outline were required. Chapter outline? Even worse than a synopsis, where at least you can fudge the middle and maybe even the ending.

I managed to do the outline for the two Rapid Reads books, because they were short and linear, and I also found that, contrary to my fear that the outline would stifle my creativity during the actual writing, I was able to move easily back and forth between the outline and the actual story, allowing each to influence and improve the other.

That was an interesting revelation. But surely it only worked on these simple books, with their uncomplicated story arcs and limited subplots and characters.

So I embarked on my first draft of the newest Inspector Green using my time-tested “fly by the seat of my pants” technique. I wrote the first four chapters in this fashion, enjoying the freedom but being troubled by the niggling question of ‘where was this going?’ Until this book, that question had never bothered me, but now I was fretting about the synopsis I still had to write about the rest of the book. What would I say? What were the plot twists and discoveries?

After finishing the chapters, I sat down to sketch out some plot ideas, and before I knew it I was writing a chapter outline all the way to the end! (Sort of). Aack! I was going to short-circuit the creative process and end up with a paint-by-numbers book!

The chapter outline is now sitting on my computer, waiting for me to play with it, throw it out, use it for the dreaded synopsis and then throw it out, or maybe even use it to help me write the book. But it is there, concrete proof of my first foray into the world of pre-planned writing. Whether it will improve my writing or not, it’s been an interesting experience. It’s the first time I’ve had a vision, however flawed, of the whole book including the end. I know the outline will be a comforting refuge when I confront those moments of terror every writer experiences. That moment when you wonder where on earth you’re going and why are you pretending to be a writer anyway.

So stay tuned for further updates on my first draft efforts of None So Blind, and the success of the outline approach. Does it improve or stultify? I’d love to hear your thoughts.

Barbara Fradkin is a child psychologist with a fascination for how we turn bad. In addition to her darkly haunting short stories in the Ladies Killing Circle anthologies, she writes the gritty, Ottawa-based Inspector Green novels which havewon back to back Arthur Ellis Awards for Best Novel from Crime Writers of Canada. The eighth in the series, Beautiful Lie the Dead, explores love in all its complications. And, her Rapid Read from Orca, The Fall Guy, was launched last year.

MAYHEM ON MONDAYS

Short but sweet!

For me...anyway. I'll make this a quick one because my main computer is hospitalized for a couple of days and this back-up one is driving me nuts.

So....the sweet part is in just two weeks, my new Ashton Corners Book Club mystery, the second book in the series,

Read and Buried will be out! Yay!

It's going to be a busy whirl, especially with Christmas lingering in the wings along with a trip to Victoria to visit my son and daughter-in-law. Also planned in a book event at Sleuth of Baker Street in Toronto on Sat., Dec. 1; a joint book launch with friend Joan Boswell (launching Cut to the Bone) at the North York Public Library, Toronto on Sun. Dec. 2, 2-4 p.m.; a repeat of said joint book launch here in Ottawa on Tues., Dec. 4, 7-9 p.m. at Library & Archives Canada, 395 Wellington St.; and, an multi-author event at Books on Beechwood in Ottawa, Thurs., Dec. 13th!

It's going to be such fun to get out there with a new book and old friends! Hope to see you at one or more of the events.

Shall I even try to get some writing done during this whirl?

Linda Wiken/Erika Chase

A KILLER READ
Berkley Prime Crime, now available
READ and BURIED, coming Dec., 2012, available for pre-order
www.erikachase.com

CRIME ON MY MIND

Cravings...

At choir practice last night, one of the altos said she was looking forward to this weekend's intensive rehearsals in Montebello because there's a wonderful chocolate shop there. Many ears perked up at that, mine included.

I sometimes have intense chocolate cravings -- but it has to be the good stuff, 85% dark chocolate at the minimum, which is why I don't indulge that craving too often. The really, really tasty chocolate is really, really pricey. Another craving is almond butter -- by the spoonful, on toast, with bananas. It's sooo good but has gobs of calories and also, costs more than alternatives such as peanut butter.

My third craving is espresso. Here again, I'm particular about the brand because I've found a local roaster and those are the beans I buy, fair trade, of course.

I've heard of writers who crave writing. They actually feel lost or even physically ill if they're unable to write for any period of time. This goes beyond treating writing as a business or even writing because the writer feels he or she has something to say about an issue and therefore, has a need to write.

I fall into the 'writing because I enjoy doing it' category. I really do love getting carried away into the zone, where you are so immersed in the story that being pulled out of it by a ringing phone or a pot that's boiling over on the stove is a major jolt.

My high comes from finally nailing a tricky scene or crafting a re-write that's ten times better than the original. But I don't crave it.

Sometimes the pleasure also comes from doing signings or reading a review. However, these days with so much chatter on the net about bogus reviews, and the unprecedented decision by Amazon to remove reviews written by authors of other authors' books...some of the joy of the writing life is fading. These days it's not enough to schmooze with readers at events and make yourself known to booksellers (the few that are left standing), it's more about racking up Facebook friends and Twitter followers, getting everyone you know under the sun to 'Like' your book on Amazon.com, .ca and Chapters.ca. It's more a test of who has more friends than how well written is the book.

My advice -- enjoy the process. Have fun with the Likes and Friend requests but don't take them, or yourself, too seriously. Less stress that way and fewer nails being bitten to the quick while awaiting a review.

Save the craving for chocolate!

A KILLER READ by Erika Chase
Berkley Prime Crime, now available
READ and BURIED, coming Dec., 2012, available for pre-order

WICKED WEDNESDAYS

On Looking Back

Recently, in preparation for writing a memoir intended for the family, I’ve sorted through the diaries I’ve kept spasmodically over many decades. Diaries reveal what you really think and feel, not the impression you try to give to the world. You write them to record what’s happening but also what you’re thinking and feeling.Reading through mine I’ve learned a thing or two about myself.

The most disconcerting thing I found was the consistency, the lack of change despite the ups and downs of my life.

To give a few examples, when I was twenty-two I read vociferously, loved the CBC (as I lived in a remote northern bush community it truly was a link to the outside world), and thought Canadians were the best and luckiest people in the world. I wrote at length and raged at all nations in the pre-World War II years for not allowing Jews into the country when it was apparent that they needed refuge. In my teens I’d been in the southern US where the Jim Crow laws prevailed and I couldn’t believe the reality and unfairness of what I saw. In our remote community we ordered the New York Sunday Times (which arrived by train on Thursday) and useless though it was I cheered for voter registration and wished I could do something to help.

At twenty-two genealogy fascinated me as it does now. And back then I tried my hand at writing, painted and did all kinds of crafts.

And so it went. I was then as I am now.

Are all of us much the same from our twenties onward? Do attitudes that we have when we’re young change? Certainly I’ve known friends who were avowed Communists in their youth and now vote NDP or Liberal but is that a difference in degree and not in basic philosophy? I also have friends who were hippy protesters and still support social movements, march and petition for change. We all know individuals who make radical changes in their lives but I wonder if the seeds were planted and unacknowledged years before.

As a writer it’s important to discover why and how characters change. Or don’t, if they’re like me.

A member of the Ladies Killing Circle, Joan Boswell co-edited four of their short story anthologies: Fit to Die, Bone Dance, Boomers Go Bad and Going Out With a Bang. Her three mysteries, Cut Off His Tale, Cut to the Quick and, Cut and Run were published in 2005, 2007 and 2007. The latest in the series, Cut to the Bone, was published this month by Dundurn Press. In 2000 she won the $10,000 Toronto Star’s short story contest. Joan lives in Toronto and Ottawa with two flat-coated retrievers.

MAYHEM ON MONDAYS

Guiding writers.

So what's on your writer's reference shelf? No matter what stage your publishing career is at, I'll bet there are at least one or two writer's guides you've read over the years and now keep close at hand.

I'm also sure that most writers have at one time or other, consulted part of the Writer's digest Books enormous selection, whether it be a book on Dialogue by Lewis Turco, Theme & Strategy by Ronald B. Tobias, or Characters & Viewpoint by Orson Scott Card or perhaps one of their Howdunit series about cause of death, poisons, or weapons.

My most valued writing guides are divided into two groups -- those that work on improving writing skills and those that provide inspiration. Of the latter, bird by bird by Anne Lamott is one that I often pick up, partly because I love her writing style but mostly because it challenges me to look at this task of writing in a different way. And from a different creative path, there's dancer Twyla Tharp's The Creative Habit, with practical suggestions for getting the creative juices flowing.

For a mystery writer, Barbara Norville's Writing the Modern Mystery is ageless and has indeed seen many re-prints as it gets down to basics. My all-time favourite "how-to" book is Writing Mysteries by Margaret Locke, sadly out-of-print now. I used it as a primary reference when we were teaching mystery writing classes at night school.

Then there are the technical guides, indispensable for mystery and crime writers. Books like The Forensic Casebook by N.E Genge, The Criminal Mind by Katherine Ramsland, and Be Your Own Detective by Greg Fallis and Ruth Greenberg.

On writing in general, there's the often-quoted Christopher Vogler book, The Writer's Journey, sitting on my shelf to be re-read from time to time.

There are more...many more which is party of the reason my house has so many bookcases. These are the silent critique group, ready to point out flaws and suggest alternatives.

So, what's on your writer's reference shelf?

Linda Wiken/Erika Chase

A KILLER READ
Berkley Prime Crime, now available
READ and BURIED, coming Dec., 2012, available for pre-order
www.erikachase.com

CRIME ON MY MIND

Let's hear it for Book Clubs!

Ottawa is a city that's blessed with, what it seems, book clubs in every neighbourhood. They meet in homes, in libraries, in bookstores, at community centres, even in pubs. Most meet monthly, with summer's off.

There are book clubs focused on mainstream novels, on books in general, and of course, on mysteries.

There are several mystery book clubs actively reading, dissecting, and enjoying all types of mysteries, many inviting local authors to speak to them when it's one of their books being read. And, it's becoming easier to slip the odd mystery title into the year's reading list for the others.

The format in each club is as different as the people involved. Some share ideas and opinions after reading the selection, at the meeting, often resulting in lively discussions. Some clubs have a member doing a presentation on the chosen book but of course, all must have read it in order to contribute to the talk. Some meet in the mornings, afternoons or evenings. My book club even includes a "spa weekend" in the mix...and the talk and laughter never ends.

Of course, a major part of most book clubs is the food (and wine). As much thought goes into this as into choosing each title. And so it should be, because a good read and good food go so well together.

You may wonder why I'm thinking of book clubs today (or maybe you're not wondering). It's because my nameless book club, which has been in operation for maybe 15 years now -- always nameless -- is now searching for a name. We've been having fun brainstorming by email with everything from the Happy Booker to Wine, Women & Words to Brazen Bookaholics being tossed around. No decision has as yet been made but stay tuned for developing news!

In the meantime I propose we raise a glass in toast of our wonderful array of book clubs, be they mystery readers or not. (We'll convince them all at some point to come over to the dark side.) Authors thrive because of them...and of course, we're all readers.

Linda Wiken/Erika Chase

A KILLER READ
Berkley Prime Crime, now available
READ and BURIED, coming Dec., 2012, available for pre-order
www.erikachase.com

WICKED WEDNESDAYS

Time for a rant!

Sorry, but it's time for another rant. And it's about electronics, once again. I'm feeling jinxed, or maybe it's just dumb, when it comes to these sanity-destroying necessities. I do admit it, I'd be lost without them. Frustrated with them. What's a gal to do!

Today (and yesterday, Monday, too)my computer has been giving me grief. I choose to write on my Toshiba Notebook for this very reason. When on my desk-top, I find that other powers have taken over the insides of this instrument. OK, I know I've done something wrong in the first place, but why can't I ever figure out how to remedy the matter?

This time, I tried to open a flyer (our joint launch announcement, as mentioned on Monday's blog) and thought, Print Shop would be a good choice. Not so. It wouldn't open it. And now, everything attachment that comes in automatically wants to be opened by Print Shop. I have no choice in the matter any more. And, it (P.S.) refuses to open any and everything.

I have figured out how to get around it, in the case of the flyer, but I'm totally frustrated at having to do that every time.

I think this harks back to when I downloaded a program (free) that a friend said would convert formats. I think (being in a hurry), I clicked the part that said, use this as your whatever...so it's doing that. Everything is being saved in Notepad, which totally skews the format of previously saved items. Am I as confused as I sound?

And don't get me started on my DVD player! It's hooked up but I can't get it programmed. That's several tries later.

I'm jinxed...or as I said, dumb. Oh, well...I guess it's over to the experts. Again. Hopefully, this won't be too costly. On the upside...my Notebook and I get along fabulously. (Touch wood!)

Linda Wiken/Erika Chase

A KILLER READ
Berkley Prime Crime, now available
READ and BURIED, coming Dec., 2012, available for pre-order
www.erikachase.com

MAYHEM ON MONDAYS

Launching in five, four....

I realized this morning that the next book launch is only a month away! How time creeps up and then does a mad rush sometimes. But I think we're on top of it.

Here's the first official announcement -- on Tues. Dec. 4th, 7 - 9 p.m. at the Library & Archives Canada, 395 Wellington St. in Ottawa, Room A... Joan Boswell and I will have a double launch for our new babies.

Joan's book, Cut to the Bone, is the fourth in her popular Hollis Grant series. Set in Toronto, Joan's main base these days, it features artist, golden retriever-loving Hollis, this time in new digs. She's the resident super of an eight-storey apartment building so you can just imagine what kind of trouble she'll be involved in over the next books in the series.

Joan is a former resident of Ottawa so a lot of friends will be delighted she's launching in town.

My new book, or rather Erika Chase's, is the second Ashton Corners Book Club mystery, Read and Buried (rhymes with 'dead'). It's available at book stores and as an e-book the week before the launch whereas Joan's is now on bookshelves everywhere!

We're planning a fun evening of schmoozing, readings, signings and food -- chocolates, of course! And the Friends of the Library & Archives will be hosting a donation wine bar, as usual. It's thanks to this wonderful group of dedicated volunteers that we're even able to use the classy facilities these days!

We're doing a double launch in Toronto at the North York Public Library on Sun. Dec. 2nd, 2-4 p.m. so we'll be finely-tuned for Ottawa. Hope you will circle the date and join us in this celebration!

Linda Wiken/Erika Chase

A KILLER READ
Berkley Prime Crime, now available
READ and BURIED, coming Dec., 2012, available for pre-order
www.erikachase.com

CRIME ON MY MIND

What's new?

I love days like today! Not the weather, that's for sure. But the anticipation of getting a look at what's new in mysteries for the late winter season.

As part of my "mini-bookseller" role, I'm meeting with a sales rep and we'll be going through catalogues. It's an exciting part of the business, getting to see what will soon be hot off the press and determining who to stock and how many. That's the tricky part of the bookselling business. Each store caters to such a different mix of customers and that determines, to a large extent, the stock that's carried.

Of course, personal preferences do play a role, too.

When I had Prime Crime Books, there was a strong core of regulars. I knew their reading tastes; I knew how far I could lure them into other offerings. It worked out well. Now at the Prime Crime Bookshelf in Britton's, there's a mixture of my former customers along with the regulars who've been frequenting Britton's for newspapers and magazines...oh, and let's not forget those cigars...for many, many years. They're often intrigued by the display of mysteries; often open to suggestions because readers of newspapers and magazines are just that...readers.

It's been a real learning experience for me. So, starting with the authors I knew were crowd-pleasers, I'm now looking forward to approaching the new lists with a bit more of an adventuresome eye. What might please both groups of readers?

Stay tuned because some of your favourite authors might be on those lists! And that's fun for everyone.

Linda Wiken/Erika Chase

A KILLER READ
Berkley Prime Crime, now available
READ and BURIED, coming Dec., 2012, available for pre-order
www.erikachase.com