A Blast from the Past - Author Evelyn Cullet

Life Gets in the Way of Writing  (2016)

Author, Evelyn Cullet

There are so many things in life that can get in the way of writing. The Internet for one. By the time I’ve answered my emails, searched for a few new recipes, and visited all the websites I’m a member of, hours of writing time have passed and I’m usually late making lunch or dinner, occasionally even breakfast.

Every morning I wake up determined to get some writing done that day, but my husband has his own agenda, (He’s retired, too.) which always supersedes mine, because as he puts it, “You can write anytime.” Oh sure I can, but not when he stays on the computer for hours searching for... whatever he searches for, not really sure what that is most of the time. Or he comes into the room after I’ve been on the computer for what I think has only been a few minutes, but in reality has actually been a couple of hours, and says, “Why don’t you take a break?” just as I’m in the middle of a great idea for the climax of my novel. And then he’ll sit down and talk to me about something he considers interesting, but I couldn’t care less about. I lose my train of thought, and that’s that.

Mostly, I’m my own worst enemy, because I’m not disciplined enough to set the time aside. There are all kinds of things that need to be taken care of before I can sit down to write. Maybe it’s because I’m a woman. Men don’t have this problem. They write whenever they want, but when I do, I feel guilty if there are dishes in the sink or the floor needs to be washed or the laundry isn’t done.

Recently, we had our telephone number hijacked. It sounds like an odd thing to happen, but there are criminals who hijack phone numbers and sell them to companies that make burner cells. At least that’s what the fraud department at my phone company told me. To make a long story short, I spent 28 hours over a period of two weeks on my cell in contact with my phone company rep. trying to get my landline number back.  (Did I mention that my husband is a hard of hearing, so I always have to make these types of calls?) I finally did get it back, but it was a huge time waster. More writing time lost. And don’t think that hadn’t crossed my mind as I was on hold for most of that time. 

And then there are a lot of minor things. Appliance break downs, the garden needs tending, the dog needs to be walked, doctors’ appointments, dentist appointments, grocery shopping... the list goes on. I feel like I’m racing the clock every day. It’s funny how time passes more quickly as you get older. It seems like you’ve just eaten breakfast when it’s time to make lunch, and after the lunch things have been cleared up, it’s nearly time to make dinner.

I don’t watch much television. Some days I don’t watch it at all, unless there’s a good, old mystery movie on, or a program like Bones or reruns of Castle where I might learn something new, or get a story idea. And even then, I feel guilty because I should have been writing.

When the telephone rings, I cringe and hope it’s not someone who wants to talk for the next hour, when all I want to do is write. Which reminds me of a blog post I once read about writers. It stated that we’re busy but flexible, sociable but focused. We find it difficult to be there for needy people, as our timetables don’t allow for it. But on the flip side, when you don’t call us for three weeks, that’s okay. In fact, we probably appreciate it, especially when we’ve got deadlines to meet.

I’m currently working on my next mystery, The Tarkington Treasure, the final novel in the Charlotte Ross Mystery Series. Charlotte’s ex-fiancé is back in town, and it appears they may finally get back together, except for one small problem—he’s wanted for murder.

 

Amazon Author's Page: https://www.amazon.com/author/evelyncullet

Website and Blog: http://evelyncullet.com/

Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/EvculletsAuthorPage

Twitter: https://twitter.com/EvelynCullet

Goodreads- http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/3425303.Evelyn_Cullet

Pinterest: http://www.pinterest.com/ecullet/

About the Author

Evelyn Cullet has been an author since high school when she wrote short stories. She began her first novel while attending college later in life and while working in the offices of a major soft drink company. Now, with early retirement, she can finally write full time. As a life-long mystery buff, she was a former member of the Agatha Christie Society, and is a current member of the National Chapter of Sisters In Crime. She writes mysteries with warm romance and a little humor. When she’s not writing mysteries, reading them or reviewing them, she hosts other authors and their work on her writer’s blog. www.evelyncullet.com/blog. She also plays the piano, is an amateur lapidary, and an organic gardener.

A Blast from the Past - Marja McGraw

My featured author this week is Marja McGraw. When I originally posted this, Marja had two publishers - one for each of her wonderful mystery series. Since then, she has moved to Washington state and gone on to write several more books and to self-publish them. She creates - and has recreated - all of her own covers and a little bird told me that she's currently writing her 20th novel! 

 

Marja McGraw

This is the third in the Bogey Man Mysteries (and my personal favorite), featuring Chris and Pamela Cross, along with their son Mikey and two Yellow Labs, Sherlock and Watson.

Marguerite Turnbal was a bestselling Gothic mystery writer in the 1950s. A little on the eccentric side, she had her home renovated, adding secret compartments. In her later years she told her twin daughters, Coral and Carol, that there was a treasure to be found, and she gave them only one clue to its whereabouts. 

Over twenty years after Marguerite’s death a young woman is murdered in the old empty house. Chris Cross’s parents have come for a visit. His mother, Judith, and his son, Mikey, want to solve their own mystery in true Cross family tradition. Judith, also a little eccentric, breaks into the house after seeing strange lights and finds the body – not quite the mystery she was hoping to find. The Bogey Man and his family are soon gumshoeing their way through life again, looking for a murderer and hidden treasure.

Buy link:

http://www.amazon.com/They-Call-Ace-Bogey-Mystery/dp/1610090675/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1361716945&sr=1-1&keywords=they+call+me+ace

Bio:

Marja McGraw is originally from Southern California, where she worked in both criminal and civil law enforcement for several years.

Relocating to Northern Nevada, she worked for the Nevada Department of Transportation.  Marja also lived in Oregon where she worked for the Jackson County Sheriff’s Office and owned her own business, a Tea Room/Antique store. After a brief stop in Wasilla, Alaska, she returned to Nevada. She’s also worked for a library and a city building department.

Marja wrote a weekly column for a small newspaper in No. Nevada and she was the editor for the Sisters in Crime Internet Newsletter for a year and a half. She’s appeared on television in Nevada, and she’s also been a guest on various radio and Internet radio shows.

She writes the Sandi Webster Mysteries and the Bogey Man Mysteries, and says that each of her mysteries contains “a little humor, a little romance and A Little Murder!”

Website : http://www.marjamcgraw.com/ and Blog: http://blog.marjamcgraw.com/

 

A bonus! Ms. McGraw has just released another mystery! It's available on Kindle at the link below and will soon be available in paperback. You won't want to miss this one!

http://www.amazon.com/Mysteries-Holt-House-Mystery-ebook/dp/B00BDTQ5NS/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1361123657&sr=1-1&keywords=mysteries+of+holt+house 

Serial Killers 101

I’ve always been fascinated with the subject of serial killers. I’m most interested in “why” they do what they do; what causes a human being to become a monster? It’s a question of nature vs. nurture. Was it the fault of their upbringing and/or society or were they “born” to be serial killers? 

The more I read about them as I did research for my first Malone mystery, Mixed Messages, the more intrigued I became. Here's a brief overview of what I learned. There are four types of serial killers:

·       Visionary  killers

·       Mission killers

·       Pleasure (Hedonistic) killers 

·       Power/control killers

Keep in mind: there’s a difference between mass murderers and serial killers. Mass murderers kill their victims all at once. They choose a killing field and attempt to take as many victims as possible. They do not hunt, torture and then kill their victims. Serial killers do. One definition of a serial killer is “someone who commits three or more murders over an unspecified period of time.” 

It’s virtually impossible to distinguish serial killers from the rest of society. They look just like you and me (yes, there have been many female serial killers) and they're everywhere. The FBI can’t give us actual statistics; no one knows for sure how many are out there, targeting their next victims. Estimates run anywhere from twenty to thirty to the thousands! 

There are three predatory types:

·   territorial killers who hunt within a specific area

·   nomadic killers who travel extensively on their killing sprees

·   stationary killers who prefer to commit murders in their own homes or places of employment

Serial killers are categorized as “organized” or “disorganized.”

·   Organized killers are the most difficult to identify and capture because they’re highly intelligent. They plan each and every detail, often stalking their victims for long periods of time to determine the best time to strike.

·   Disorganized killers are usually of lesser intelligence and don’t plan their attacks in advance. Their victims are usually people who are in the wrong place at the wrong time.

Most serial killers have a “preference.” For example, Albert DeSalvo, the Boston Strangler, was sexually obsessed with the elderly. Some serial killers take “souvenirs” from their victims: a lock of hair, a piece of jewelry or a body part and many serial killers have bizarre fetishes like Ed Gein, the role model for Hitchcock’s Psycho, who collected corpses for a variety of sick purposes. 

Until next time, be wary of strangers and people you know. Remember, anyone could be a serial killer – even the boy next door.

A Blast from the Past

Marilyn Meredith

I see mystery everywhere

  by Marilyn Meredith

Yes, I really do see mystery everywhere. The question, “What if” is always forefront in my mind. I think “what if” when I’m reading any intriguing article in the newspaper. When driving down the road, a gathering of vehicles, someone getting a ticket, lots of tents at the campground, an interesting conversation at a nearby table in a restaurant, something someone tells me, and I could go on and on.

For my Rocky Bluff P.D. series, I’ve gotten ideas from law enforcement professionals who’ve spoken at my Sisters in Crime chapter. I’ve also been piqued by things I’ve seen or heard when visiting the coast. (RBPD mysteries take place in a fictional small beach town.)

For my Deputy Tempe Crabtree series, other things will trigger a story idea. When I first began thinking about the plot for Raging Water, which didn’t have a title at that time, it was raining a lot where I live. Tempe lives in Bear Creek which is much like the place where I live, though 1000 feet higher in the mountains. Locals were discussing how much the river was rising and remembering past flooding. 

As the rain kept coming down, mud slid down and blocked parts of the road that leads to town. H’mmm, what if after lots and lots of rain, not only would the river flood and send folks who lived along the river finding shelter elsewhere, but a mud slide could make it impossible to leave Bear Creek.

All that could certainly make a mystery interesting, but I needed a murder.

Not too long ago two women who went to our church died under what I and a few others considered suspicious circumstances but our local law enforcement did not. Our deputies are also deputy coroners and can pronounce someone dead. In the case of these two women, both with serious chronic illnesses, no autopsies were performed. Both women were poor and didn’t have any family to demand an autopsy. I decided to include their deaths in the book. 

One more ingredient came along. A good friend of mine and a fan of the Deputy Tempe Crabtree mysteries asked if I’d put her in one of my books. I agreed. Though the character has a new name, I used her physical description and some of her personality attributes—though I’d rather say that it is her essence in the character. I did use her two dogs though, including their breed and names, and they become quite important to the plot.

Raging Water Blurb: Deputy Tempe Crabtree’s  investigation of the murder of two close friends is complicated when relentless rain turns Bear Creek into a raging river. Homes are inundated and a mud slide blocks the only road out of Bear Creek stranding many—including the murderer.

Marilyn Meredith is the author of over thirty published novels, including the award winning Deputy Tempe Crabtree mystery series. She also writes the Rocky Bluff P.D. crime series as F. M. Meredith. Marilyn is a member of EPIC, three chapters of Sisters in Crime, Mystery Writers of America, and on the board of the Public Safety Writers of America. 

Since this original post in 2012, Marilyn has gone on to write several new books in both of her series. You can read about them and/or order them at https://tinyurl.com/y7js5q3j.

Mystery without Murder

I’ve always been an avid mystery reader. Growing up, I read Nancy Drew mysteries like most other girls my age but my favorite books were the Judy Bolton mysteries written by Margaret Sutton. Titles like The Midnight Visitor, The Mark on the Mirror, and The Forbidden Chest fascinated me. Each book held a mystery for Judy to solve and, if memory serves, there were no murders in any of the books. Just an intriguing mystery.

Of course, those books were written for young girls, not adult women, so there were limits on the subject matter and graphic nature of the published material. Understandable. Although I love a good murder mystery, I also like the idea of mystery without murder, which I attribute to all the hours I spent with Judy Bolton. 

There are no murders in Secrets in Storyville. Only mystery. 

Kate Morgan, a single mother, lives in the small town of Storyville, Ohio where she grew up. A want-to-be author, she works as a sales clerk in the town’s only department store doing what she describes as “a job a monkey could do.” Although she’s bored with her job, she’s reluctant to consider making any major changes in her life. However, she’s about to find out that change is inevitable.

When Kate’s ten-year-old daughter, Mandy, tells the family she plans to do a family tree for a school project, the negative reaction of Kate’s parents and grandmother shocks her but also arouses her curiosity. Why are they so against Mandy’s project? Surely her family is too “normal” to have any skeletons in their closet.

Kate decides to support her daughter even if that means defying her parents. As she searches for the truth, she discovers some long buried secrets that, if she decides to reveal them, will change her life and the lives of the people she loves - forever.