SCHMOOZING WITH JANET BOLIN

1. Who has influenced you the most in your writing career? \

JB- My parents. They both loved to read and they read aloud to us. They were also very creative—if they wanted something, they made it. So if I wanted new stories, I made them.

2. What are you working on now?

JB-I’m finishing the fifth manuscript in the Threadville Mystery series. It’s due June 1.

3. In what ways is your main protagonist like you? If at all?

JB-Willow and I share a love of sewing, machine embroidery, and textile arts, but that’s about where the likeness ends. Willow is much better at handcrafts than I am. And she’s more impulsive and also braver about wandering around late at night, investigating. She’s younger, thinner, taller... And she’s not interested in writing books. But if I owned a store full of the newest sewing and embroidery machines, I might not write as much, either.

4. Are you character driven or plot driven?

JB-Character, within the framework of a murder and the resulting investigation. I throw my characters into a situation, and they take it from there.

5. Are you a pantser or a plotter?

JB-I used to be a pantser, but I ended up rewriting and rearranging scenes about a million times, so now, I plot first. I start with a very brief outline, because the fun is in the writing, not in the plotting. By the end of each writing day, I like to know what comes next, so I create a more detailed outline as I go along.

6. What do you hope readers will most take away from your writing?

JB-Entertainment. I want them to laugh, understand Willow’s emotions, and feel like they’re actually in Threadville while they’re reading the books and for awhile after they finish them.

7. Where do you see yourself as a writer in 10 years?

JB-As long as people want to read cozy mysteries, I’ll be happy writing them.

8. What is one thing your readers would be most surprised to know about you?

JB-I once had to be lifted down from a ski lift. Then again, they might not be surprised at all.


9. What do you like to read for pleasure?

JB-Fiction, especially mysteries and suspense.


10. Give us a summary of your latest book in a Tweet

JB-NIGHT OF THE LIVING THREAD - Something stitched this way comes...



Discouraged by the lack of sewing, and yarn shops near her rural home, Janet Bolin invented Threadville, a village of textile arts shops. Three Threadville Mysteries have been published so far—DIRE THREADS, THREADED FOR TROUBLE, and THREAD AND BURIED. The fourth Threadville mystery, NIGHT OF THE LIVING THREAD comes out on June 3, and features, among other things, a wedding, a craft fair, ancient Egyptian curses, an undulating trail of glow-in-the-dark thread, and people dressed up like zombies. And there’s a murder...

In addition to reading, writing, and walking dogs, Janet’s hobbies include sewing, knitting, and machine embroidery, including using software and killer (!) sewing machines to create original embroidery designs. http://www.ThreadvilleMysteries.com

CRIME ON MY MIND

CANADIANS DOWN SOUTH

Another Malice Domestic just wrapped up and if you've never been to one, especially if you love traditional mysteries, you don't know what you're missing. It takes place every year in Bethesda, MD and boasts a long line-up of writers and fans. It also includes the very popular Agatha Awards which are voted on by the readers and bestowed at the Sat. night banquet. Although Canadians have been nominated in the past,sadly, there wasn't one on this year's list.

But the Canadians did troop the colours! We had an impressive turnout, although we were missing some of our usual travel-mates from previous years. Authors who were there, whose names I'm sure you know are Cathy Ace, Janet Bolin, Erika Chase, Vicki Delany, and Mary Jane Maffini/Victoria Abbott. And we were pleased to see ardent mystery reader, who pops up at all the conferences, Elaine Naiman from Ottawa. Now, I know I shouldn't name names because I know I'll miss someone, like the delightful readers from out West. But, I dared to do it.

It's great to get together once a year, or like some of us who went to Left Coast Crime in Monterey in March, more times. It rejuvenates the writing spirit, and more often than not, we come back with some great ideas on writing and promotion. For many years, before being publishes, I went to hear what the authors had to say and to meet them. I always looked forward to the weekend and never came away disappointed.

There's an opportunity for much the same coming up next month in the form of Bloody Words in Toronto on June 6-8. Sadly, this will be the final year for this wonderful conference. So I highly advise that if you've been putting it off for a better year, it doesn't get any better than this! You'll meet mystery authors from across Canada, along with many from the U.S. and overseas. And of course, some amazing readers. For all the details, visit http://www.bloodywords.com I hope to see you there!

And, if you're in Ottawa, plan on a day of mystery on Sat. May 10th at the Ottawa Public Library when Capital Crime Writers presents a day of Capital Mayhem. For the grand price of FREE, you'll enjoy early morning coffee, Peter Robinson, panels of local mystery authors, plus lunch....did I mention it's free. And, it starts at 9 a.m. Books will be available for purchase, too.

Crime thrives...between the pages, of course. Don't miss out!

Scratchings

My first manuscripts were pages of wavy lines. I didn’t know how to read, but I’d seen my parents put pen to paper and squiggle out symbols. So I sat at a desk and scribbled page after page of wavy lines. I loved the look of my creation. I loved the sound of the pencil on paper.

Learning to read was magic. And then I learned to print. Other people could (usually) read what I printed. What power!
I wrote a serious poem and read it to the extended family at one of our frequent get-togethers. My aunts praised me, but laughed. I thought they were amused because I’d written the word “he’ll”, and it did sort of look like a word that made seven-year-olds giggle, but I had very carefully added the apostrophe, so what was so funny? It took me a few years to figure it out. I’d written about “my” kitten—I’d never owned one—and had included this gem: “And then he’ll have kittens.”

Pleased with my great success with poetry, I planned to write more. I decided that when I grew up, I would write whole entire books.

Handwriting turned out to be even better than printing. The scratching sound of the pencil (usually dull because who had time for sharpening pencils?) flowed like a sort of music (this will give you an idea of my musical talent…) on the rough yellow paper they gave us.

I branched out from poetry to plays, and was frustrated because although writing was faster than printing, I still couldn’t write as quickly as the dialogue came to me (probably a good thing…)

And then, when I was about twelve, our class visited the local water works. I liked field trips, but they always had this downside of having to write reports afterward. My teachers wanted facts, not fiction. What fun was that?
As usual, I procrastinated about writing that paper until very late, and then, at the last minute, the beginning of the waterworks report came out as two lines that rhymed. I thought of two more rhyming lines, and added those. I wrote the entire report, all about chlorine, underground rivers, pipes, and pumps, in rhyming couplets.
Luckily, my teacher appreciated my . . . we’ll call it originality. She didn’t need to know that the poem had stemmed from desperation and a form of laziness. She decided that our year-end assembly would be a play featuring my poem. And I was to head the team of playwrights.

By some miracle (like maybe I was casting director?) I ended up in what I considered to be the lead role—an eccentric aunt who read the poem about the waterworks to her adoring nephews and nieces. I’m sure that the entire school, plus whichever parents could attend that day, were entertained, educated, and edified.

I grew up (well, maybe) and had a real career—working mostly with numbers, which was often less interesting than writing reports about field trips. I never stopped wanting to write fiction, though, and now, finally, I tap keys on a keyboard, and the equivalent of wavy lines appear on a screen and end up bound into books--real ones! I remember that tiny girl at the too-high desk, scratching out page after page of wavy lines, and I see my published books, and I pinch myself.

Everyone has to start from scratch, I guess.

DIRE THREADS, the first book in Janet Bolin’s Threadville Mystery series received a nomination for an Agatha Award for Best First Novel. It was also shortlisted for the 2012 Bony Blithe. Janet’s second book, THREADED FOR TROUBLE, was shortlisted for the 2013 Bony Blithe. Her third book, THREAD AND BURIED, was a National Bestseller in the U.S. All of Janet’s books can be ordered at your favorite bookstore.
Visit Threadville, read excerpts from Janet’s books, and find booksellers at http://ThreadvilleMysteries.com/
“Like” her on facebook: https://www.facebook.com/pages/Janet-Bolin/267325191115Follow her on twitter: http://twitter.com/#!/@JanetBolinAnd keep your eyes open for information about the fourth Threadville Mystery, coming in June, 2014.

TUESDAY BRINGS TROUBLE

What Will People Think?

“Stop that, Janet! What will people think?” As a child, I heard those words often. I didn’t always pay attention. Now I seem to have nearly lost the knack of hearing them in my mind’s ear.

This is probably good. Imagine if someone overheard me saying, “I have just returned from malice and am going to bloody words.”

Imagine the swath that my travelling companions (mystery authors Linda Wiken/Erika Chase, R.J. Harlick, and Vicki Delany) and I cut through New York and Pennsylvania with our cheerfully morbid discussions in restaurants on our way to and from the Malice Domestic conference www.malicedomestic.org and the Festival of Mystery http://www.mysterylovers.com/books/events/20110502Festival.

Imagine the conversations that go on among writers and readers at these events…

And then there was the Incident of the Coffee. Actually, there were several Incidents of the Coffee. My favourite morning beverage seemed to have a curse placed on it. Or maybe the curse was placed on my clothing. The worst incident involved a doughnut, a car, some coffee, and my pants. If you wish to replicate the Incident, try this:
1. Accept half a Krispy Kreme chocolate doughnut from the driver.
2. Hold cup of warm (fortunately, not hot) coffee between knees while tearing off piece of doughnut.
3. Pass remainder of doughnut to other occupant of the back seat
5. Notice that the coffee has tipped and is pouring into your lap.

What will people think? Well, we know exactly what they would have thought if my pants hadn’t dried before the next time I had to clamber out of the car.

If you missed Malice and the Festival of Mystery, don’t despair. The fun is not over for the season. We still have Bloody Words http://www.bloodywords.com . Not attending the conference might not be a crime, exactly, but just think what you might miss . . .

Janet Bolin’s first novel, DIRE THREADS, was nominated for an Agatha for Best First Novel and is shortlisted for the first ever Bloody Words Light Mystery Award (aka the Bony Blithe.) Her second mystery, THREADED FOR TROUBLE, comes out June 5. You’ll be able to pick up an early, signed copy at Bloody Words. The third mystery in her Threadville Mystery series will be published in June, 2013.

Visit Janet at http://www.facebook.com/pages/Janet-Bolin/26732519115 facebook and twitter.

WICKED WEDNESDAYS

Heading out...

Two things struck me late last night. I hadn't yet finished packing for Malice Domestic. And secondly, when I tried to post and schedule a new blog, I found that the 'Blogger' format and system had changed! When did that happen? Sometime since Monday morning, apparently. That was the last time I was physically accessing the blog settings. Why do they do that?! Especially when I don't have time to do a self-teaching session! So, I can eventually get into this space and write a blog but can I schedule a blog to be posted tomorrow, Friday or Monday? No! So, my apologies. While I'm away at Malice, the repeating blog will be by Joan Boswell, which I'm posting right before hitting the road in the morning. But it's a good blog and re-reading it may trigger some writing ideas. So that's a good thing. Nor can I get this Blogger to insert paragraphs! What's up????? But back to my rant, especially since in the cold light of day, nothing has changed. This hasn't morphed back into the easy Blogger I grew into liking. Nor has my suitcase been miraculously filled and better still, proven able to be closed. I draw two conclusions from this -- I truly am a luddite when it comes to all things electronic (like that DVD player still in its box 5 months later) and now, Blogger. Also, that I spend too much time fussing over what clothing to take to the conference. Of course, there are a variety of functions to attend over the weekend...and, a gal's got to have her shoes! But that's not the real focus of this conference. We all know that! Malice Domestic, which takes place in Bethesda, MD from April 27-29th is the ultimate 'cosy' conference in the U.S. It's been running for decades -- in fact, it was the first mystery conference I ever attended back in 1989, its very first year. I haven't been there for ten years so I'm really looking forward to seeing old and new faces, and enjoying the changes in format. And there have been many, starting with the New Author's Breakfast this Saturday (7 a.m.!!) at which we'll each have a short 2-min. interview and then spend the rest of the time munching along with our tablemates, a mixture of readers and writers. That's what Malice is all about. It's a terrific chance to meet the readers -- and boy, do they attend! -- and to get to know new colleagues, and meet with old friends. As part of the Killer Characters blogspot, we have a crossword puzzle planned with the prize, a year's supply of our books -- one a month from each of us to the lucky winner! That will be fun! And, then there are the panels. Mine is the Southern mysteries panel at 9:30 a.m. on Sat. and I'm on with some of my favourite authors. Then there's the Agatha Awards banquet that evening with two Canadians up for prizes -- Louise Penny for Best Novel, and Janet Bolin for Best First Novel. Fingers crossed! The day after the conference, we'll be in Oakmont, PA for the Festival of Mystery. That's in it's 17th year and attracts between 300 & 400 readers to a spot where the 50+ authors are in signing mode. Once again, the newbies will have short interviews and then it's a reader-writer fest! Needless to say, I'm really looking forward to all this and a chance to spend the weekend as Erika Chase! It will also be much fun getting there as we're driving the ten-hour route. That's R.J. Harlick, Vicki Delany, Janet Bolin and Erika. Can you imagine the laughter! So, back to packing mode. And maybe I shouldn't worry about unpacking when we get home. After all, it's just a month until Canada's amazingly great mystery conference Bloody Words in Toronto. Being a mystery author is a really hard job!

Linda Wiken/Erika Chase A Killer Read Berkley Prime Crime, now available Read & Buried, coming Nov., 2012

CRIME ON MY MIND

Bookmas

Hopefully you've noticed under 'Events' that the Twelve Days of Bookmas is here once again. Now, you may be wondering why Mystery Maven is taking part in this pre-Christmas romp through bookland. It's mainly because my agent's literary agency is doing it and they've invited their authors to participate. It's a second return engagement for Bookmas because it was so successful last year. And I think that readers on both sides of the border should have the opportunity to win free books!

Besides, it's great fun.

All the details are found at the BookEnds Literary Agency website. To play, start at http://www.bookendslitagency.blogspot.com/ each day. That's the set-up. Next step is to gather the clues by going to the websites, blogsites, Twitter and/or Facebooks of the participating authors. They're all listed at the bottom of each day's question and it's easy to just click on them. Mystery Maven is listed as Erika Chase. That's me, right?

Hopefully, the clues will combine to give you the answer, whether it's a book title, author ... whatever's on the BookEnd's mysterious minds for that day. They're all widely-read so these aren't strictly mysteries she's touting. Clues will be posted at noon every weekday for 12 days.

One of the website's you'll want to visit is that of Ontario mystery writer Janet Bolin at http://www.threadvillemysteries.com. Her second book in the Threadville mysteries is due in Feb., 2012 from Berkley Prime Crime. If you're a cosy-lover, you'll want to add this series to your list of favourites and there's just enough time to read the first book, Dire Threads before Threaded for Trouble hits the shelves.

That's the great thing about Bookmas -- you'll find quite an array of new authors to try and you'll also get some great reading suggestions from BookEnds. You can start from this page each day after reading the Mystery Maven blog. Just click on the Bookmas link under events (be sure to read my clue also) and follow the trail to the right answer. And, a free book.

Happy Bookmassing!


Linda Wiken/Erika Chase
A Killer Read coming April 3, 2012
from Berkley Prime Crime

MYSTERY REVIEW

DIRE THREADS
by Janet Bolin
Berkley Prime Crime

The really neat thing about writing fiction is that you get to make it all up! You can create the ideal village, the perfect job, a great bunch of pals, cute pets,
and a main character who gets to do the things you might want to do and has some of the physical attributes you might long for and of course, has that sexy bit of romance going on in her life.

I'll just bet Janet Bolin had a blast writing Dire Threads!

Willow Vanderling is the owner of a new embroidery store in the village of Elderberry Bay, also known as Threadville. That says a lot right there. Imagine this woman in her late twenties (maybe, we don't know for sure), who escaped the pressures of a high-powered city job, and also the wrath of her ex-boss who she helped put in jail. This is a woman to be reckoned with! She joins her former co-worker and friend in the crafty little village, where most of the stores share a common theme -- well Threadville says it all.

That's the first hook. If you're into any of these dandy crafts, you'll love the notion of this village, along with all the stitching details. Plus, there's an original machine embroidery project tucked in at the back of the book.

The setting is idyllic -- on a Pennsylvania shoreline with the requisite beach within walking distance. A newly-renovated store with an attached basement apartment, also newly renovated and a cute little cottage out back, ideal for renting out. Or finding clues to the murderer's identity. Oh, didn't I mention -- a murder does take place in this sublime locale. And it's Willow's new nemesis -- the zoning commissioner who had dire plans for her Blueberry Cottage. That would give Willow the ideal motive for killing him.

She's not one to go down without a fight, though and she's aided in her sleuthing by her best friend, Haylee and an odd assortment of women, aptly named The Three Weird Mothers. I can picture Bolin laughing out loud as she clothed these women and tangled them up in the plot to prove Willow's innocence. You will have to read the book to enjoy the full effect of her descriptions!

What's a cosy mystery without a touch of romance? And who better to supply it than the delicious renovator. But there's just the hint of the unknown about him, which means Willow has to include him on her list of suspects. But her dogs love him! Tally-Ho and Sally-Forth. Her recently-rescued one-year old pups. The perfect addition to any embroidery shop.

Dire Threads has everything a cosy lover wants in a read! A craftily clever
mystery, an engaging amateur sleuth who leaves you wanting more, a cast of memorable secondary characters, the dogs, the tips and of course...a really fun read.

This is the first book in the Threadville mystery series by Ontario writer Janet
Bolin. Hopefully, we're in for a lot more embroidery projects and adventures!