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Mystery, Thriller, Suspense. Where does your book belong?

~ Kristina Stanley ~ Leave a comment

Here is concise description of the difference between Mystery, Thriller and Suspense genres. Thanks to Lori Crane for sharing.

Lori Crane's avatarLori Crane

Incognito-silhouette-150x150So, what’s the deal with the genres Mystery, Thriller, and Suspense??

Most readers don’t know the difference, but if you’re trying to place your book in the best genre to find the perfect readership, a writer should know the difference. The difference depends on if the reader knows what’s going on in advance and which character is telling the story. There is also some vague talk in the industry about pacing playing a role. Some say a thriller moves at a faster pace and a suspense novel moves at a slower pace.

Mystery – A mystery is a story where the reader finds out what’s going on at the same time as the character. Sherlock Holmes knows he has dead bodies piling up but doesn’t know who the murderer is. The reader can decipher the clues as the Sherlock uncovers them.

Thriller – In a thriller, the reader already knows…

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Mystery Mondays: Brenda Chapman – The Art of Creating Killer Suspense

~ Kristina Stanley ~ 2 Comments

9781459730960What an honour it is to have Brenda Chapman as my guest today. She’s the author of Cold Mourning,  My Sister’s Keeper, Second Chances, The Second Wife, In Winter’s Grip, Trail of Secrets,  Where Trouble Leads, Hiding in Hawk’s Creek, Running Scared, and When Boomers Go Bad.

Tumbled Graves is scheduled for release on February 27th, 2016. I’ve pre-ordered my copy and won’t that be a nice surprise when it arrives on my kindle in February.

If her list of books is not enough to entice you to keep reading, Brenda is sharing some wicked writing advice today.

The Art of Creating Killer Suspense by Brenda Chapman

Cold Mourning - smallAlfred Hitchcock was a master at drawing an audience into the lives of his characters while ramping up tension. Hitchcock used techniques that crime writers have long recognized as keys to successful story-telling.

The art of creating suspense is tied to an author’s ability to have readers care about their characters. Without first building this connection, the reader is never fully engaged and the frisson of fear or anxiety as the characters face danger cannot be fully achieved. The litmus test for an author is the sympathy we also feel for our characters…and how difficult it is to kill any of them off.

In writing one of my earlier novels, I planned to murder one character, but when the time came, I couldn’t bring myself to do it. Instead, I killed off another character of whom I hadn’t grown as fond, but unfortunately, the book ground to a halt. I had to go back and kill off my originally intended victim. The book ended up being stronger for it, and I eventually got over the loss.

Butterfly Kills coverHow do we make readers care about our characters? For me, the back stories are key: revealing what matters to the characters, their fears, hopes, friends and family. They have to have human failings that everyone can sympathize with and relate to while exhibiting some trait that makes the characters likable. Seldom are people all good or all evil although in crime novels, somebody has to be amoral enough to kill. Revealing what led them to kill can be used to make them human, especially if readers can see themselves in some part of the scenario, although hopefully not the hitting someone over the head with a blunt object bit.

Giving characters difficult or painful secrets is another great way to build tension and draw readers into their world. Officer Kala Stonechild is introduced In Cold Mourning, where I reveal that she grew up in foster care and helped hide a murder when she was ten years old. I take my time filling in her back story over the course of the series, sharing some of her secrets while she works on murder cases and struggles to form relationships. I give the other main characters different but equally flawed personal histories, secrets and troubling dilemmas.

I even share inner dreams and problems for minor characters, who might pop into the story for a chapter. For instance, in the third Stonechild and Rouleau mystery Tumbled Graves, which will be released in early 2016, a long distance transport driver, who is only on stage for one chapter, shares the physical alienation he feels from his family when he is away so much, but also the love he has for his wife and kids that keeps him returning home.

Once the reader cares about the characters and doesn’t want anything bad to happen to them, the time is ripe to add the ticking time bombs—a husband with a gambling problem, a child hooked on drugs, a vindictive ex-lover… The key is to introduce potential problems and slowly twist the tourniquet so that characters and readers are on the edge of their seats, waiting to see what happens next…who makes it to the finish line in one piece.

***

Thanks to Brenda for sharing her advice with us.  As a special photo, I’ve included my signed copy of Butterfly Kills.

IMG_2496

Publicity photo 5 2011You can find out more about Brenda and her works at http://brendachapman.ca

Thanks for reading, and please share your thoughts on writing advice or ask Brenda questions in the comments section.

If you’d like to buy one of Brenda’s books, just click on one of her book covers above and you’ll be taken to Amazon.

Interview with the Awethors Featuring Kristina Stanley

~ Kristina Stanley ~ 2 Comments

William Lloyd supports authors by having guest blogs on his site. Here’s mine. Check out his AWETHORS series for more authors…

wlloydjr's avatarWilliam Lloyd (Author)

Thanks for joining us today on Interview with the Awethors. Today I have a special treat for you guys! Today we have mystery author, Kristina Stanley here!

Kristina Skiing – Version 2

Kristina Stanley is the author of the Stone Mountain Mystery Series. Her books have garnered the attention of prestigious crime writing organizations in Canada and England. Crime Writers of Canada nominated DESCENT for the 2014 Unhanged Arthur award. The Crime Writers’ Association nominated BLAZE for the 2014 Debut Dagger. She is also published in the Ellery Queen Mystery Magazine.

William: Thank you for joining me today, Kristina. In your novel, Descent, were there any personal experiences that helped you write the story?

Kristina: I did work at a ski resort as the director of human resources, security and guest services and that certainly influenced my work. No one was murdered while I worked at the resort, but I did have a…

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Mystery Mondays: Judy Penz Sheluk – Amateur Sleuth with an Edge. 

~ Kristina Stanley ~ 13 Comments

Today on Mystery Monday’s we welcome Judy Penz Sheluk. Judy will talk to us about defining a sub-genre, her book and herself.

Defining Sub-Genre

By Judy Penz Sheluk

Hanged Man's NooseDefining your sub-genre. It’s the sort of thing newbie authors don’t really think about when they start writing a book. Oh, we know we’re writing a mystery or romance or sci-fi, but beyond that, it’s more about getting the words down than anything else. And then, one day, after months of hard work, editing, revision and more revision, that book is finally ready to send out into the cold, cruel world. That means writing a compelling query letter pitching the book to agents and publishers in the hopes they might be interested. This process is not for the faint of heart; consider that Kathryn Stockett’s The Help was rejected 61 times before someone finally took a chance on her (read the interview here). The key then, is to make your query stand out. It also means that the author has to define not just the genre (i.e. romance) but the sub-genre (paranormal romance).

When I started pitching The Hanged Man’s Noose to publishers, I defined it as “Amateur Sleuth,” which is often referred to as a “Cozy Mystery.” After all, I had an amateur sleuth (my protagonist, Emily Garland, is a freelance journalist), I had a sidekick (Emily’s friend, Arabella Carpenter, owns an antiques shop), I had a small town (Lount’s Landing, a fictional town about ninety minutes north of Toronto), and the murders take place off screen (meaning no overt violence). It wasn’t until I sent the manuscript to a publisher of traditional cozy mysteries that I discovered I hadn’t quite nailed it.

“We love The Hanged Man’s Noose, and you made it to the final round,” the rejection letter stated, “but we only publish traditional cozies. Your book has too much of an edge. Our recommendation is that you find a publisher that looks for edgier mysteries.”

I searched the publisher’s catalogue and saw what they meant. Every cover had a cat or a dog, an idyllic town with white picket fences. Many of the books included a recipe or instructions on how to make some sort of craft. My book didn’t have any of those things.

I took the publisher’s advice and discovered Barking Rain Press shortly thereafter. I redefined The Hanged Man’s Noose as “Amateur Sleuth with an Edge,” followed their submission guidelines, and signed a contract in July 2014, for publication in July 2015. I’ve been pinching myself ever since.

Handed Man’s Noose Description

Small-town secrets and subterfuge lead to murder in a tale of high-stakes real estate wrangling gone amok.

Journalist Emily Garland lands a plum assignment as the editor of a niche magazine based in Lount’s Landing, a small town named after a colorful Canadian traitor. As she interviews the local business owners for the magazine, Emily quickly learns that many people are unhappy with real estate mogul Garrett Stonehaven’s plans to convert an old schoolhouse into a mega-box store. At the top of that list is Arabella Carpenter, the outspoken owner of an antiques shop, who will do just about anything to preserve the integrity of the town’s historic Main Street.

But Arabella is not alone in her opposition. Before long, a vocal dissenter at a town hall meeting about the proposed project dies. A few days later, another body is discovered, and although both deaths are ruled accidental, Emily’s journalistic suspicions are aroused.

Putting her reporting skills to the ultimate test, Emily teams up with Arabella to discover the truth behind Stonehaven’s latest scheme before the murderer strikes again.

The Hanged Man’s Noose: A Glass Dolphin Mystery is available in print and eBook at all the usual suspects.

Judy’s Bio

Photo by Jenn Short
Photo by Jenn Short

Judy Penz Sheluk’s debut mystery, The Hanged Man’s Noose, was published in print and eBook in July 2015 through Barking Rain Press. Her short fiction has appeared in literary publications and anthologies, including The Whole She-Bang 2 and World Enough and Crime. She also contributed to Bake, Love Write, a dessert cookbook featuring recipes from 105 authors.

In her less mysterious pursuits, Judy works as a freelance writer, specializing in art, antiques and the residential housing industry. She is currently the Editor of Home BUILDER Magazine, and the Senior Editor for New England Antiques Journal.

Judy lives in a small town northwest of Toronto. She is currently finalizing Skeletons in the Closet (A Marketville Mystery) and starting book two in The Glass Dolphin Mystery series.

***

Next week on Mystery Mondays we welcome Brenda Chapman, award winning author of the Stonechild and Rouleau Mysteries.

Thanks for reading…

Thanks for reading…

If you’re interested, you can buy or download a sample of DESCENT at:  myBook.to/Descent

Mystery Mondays: Melodie Campbell on How to Write Mob Comedies

~ Kristina Stanley ~ 16 Comments

Funny Girl, Melodie Campbell, is here on Mystery Mondays…

How to Write Mob Comedies in your own Home Town, and not get Taken Out by the Family

by Melodie Campbell

Campbell-ArtfulGoddaughterIt all closed in on me at the launch of THE GODDAUGHTER mob caper in Hamilton. Eighty-five people stood waiting.

The local television station had cameras in my face.  So far, it had been an easy interview focused on my awards and comedy career. The fellow was charming.  I liked him a lot.  Then he dropped the bomb.

“So…have you ever met a member of the mob?”

I didn’t like him so much anymore.

Yikes!  Hesitation.   A lot of feet shuffling.

“Yes.” I said, very precisely. So precisely, that everyone in the room laughed nervously. “In fact, I had to wait until certain members of my family died before getting this book published. ‘Nuf said.”

The ‘nuf said’ was the closure.  He got it.  Being a smart lad, he even let it drop.

Because frankly, I was speaking the truth.  I did wait until certain people died.  Some of them were in Sicily, but more were in Canada.  Some even died from natural causes.  (“He died cleaning his rifle” was an unfortunate family expression, meaning something entirely different, if you get my drift.)

This made me think about how close you want to get in a book to real life.

As writers, we research a hell of a lot.  Of course, I did research for The Goddaughter series.  Some of the study was pretty close to home, as I riffed on memories from my childhood.

My first memory is of a family reunion at a remote farmhouse in Southern Ontario. I was about three, and tears were streaming down my face.  Big scary uncles picked me up. They tried to console me by speaking softly. But I couldn’t understand them because they were speaking in Italian, or more precisely, Sicilian.

Those were the days of Brio and cannoli after mass on Sunday mornings.   And gossip about other relatives, one of whom was a famous boxer.  My aunt’s friend, the singer (one of a trio of sisters) who could not escape the clutches of a mob underboss in the States; he wouldn’t let her go.  I remember the aunts clamming up about this, when I ventured into the room looking for Mom.

I was a darling of the family, with dark curly hair and big evergreen eyes. Later, when I grew up curvy and was tall enough to model, they doted on me. So my memories of growing up in such a family are decidedly warped.

They were warm and loving.  Very witty.  Loads of fun.  And massively protective.
Screen Shot 2015-09-13 at 1.09.10 PMIn the screwball comedy THE GODDAUGHTER REVENGE, you will find a mob family that is funny and rather delightful.  Gina loves them, but hates the business.  She is always trying to put it behind her, and somehow gets sucked back in to bail them out.  I wanted to show that ambivalence.  You are supposed to love your family and support them.  But what if your family is this one?

How close is too close to home? I do cut pretty close in describing Hamilton.  The streets are real. The names of the neighbourhoods are real. I even describe the location of the restaurant where the mob (in my books) hangs out. I changed the name, of course, because the last thing I want is readers thinking this hot resto is really a mob hangout.  And besides, it’s fun when fans email me to say, “When they all meet at La Paloma, did you really mean XXX?” Readers feel they’ve been part of an in-joke.

THE GODDAUGHTER series is meant to be laugh-out-loud funny.  But there is an adage that states: Comedy is tragedy barely averted.

No kidding.  I’ve been writing comedy all my adult life.

Melodie’s Bio: Campbell- cropped-1The Toronto Sun called her Canada’s “Queen of Comedy.”  Library Journal compared her to Janet Evanovich.  Melodie Campbell got her start writing standup. She has won nine awards for fiction, including the 2014 Derringer and the 2014 Arthur Ellis (Canada) for The Goddaughter’s Revenge.

http://www.melodiecampbell.com

***

The Artful Goddaughter Excerpt

Chapter 1

When I was a girl, my favorite movie was The Pink Panther.

Great-uncle Franco owned a movie theatre in town. He had a knock-off reel. We’d beg him to play that film on the big screen. I probably saw it thirty times. It became an obsession with me. 

When other girls dressed up for Halloween as Princesses, I was decked out in head-to-toe black. With a mask.

“Girls can’t be cat-burglars,” my cousin Paulo told me.

“Yeah?” I yelled back. “What about Mad Magda?”

“She’s not real,” Paulo sneered. “She’s just a legend, like Santa Claus. Only boys are burglars.”

This obviously did some serious damage. Because of course, I had to prove him wrong. Even if it took me twenty years to do it.

***

Next week on Mystery Mondays we have the pleasure of welcoming Judy Penz Sheluk, author of HANGED MAN’S NOOSE.

Thanks for reading…

If you’re interested, you can buy or download a sample of DESCENT at:  myBook.to/Descent

Online book launch parties

~ Kristina Stanley ~ Leave a comment

Tess, Thanks for the lovely blog about Facebook Launch parties.

Tess 📚's avatarStories from the Heart

Until a few days ago, I didn’t know much about online book launch parties.  I had no idea how such a thing could work, I mean, a party, isn’t that a gathering of people?  I was naive.

Why did I think people could only gather in person for such a party?  I was wrong, very very wrong.  I attended two such parties yesterday, and now I understand.

Whilst I had heard of them before, vaguely, I was prompted to learn more by Kristina Stanley, author of Descent, after reading a blog post by funny man Dan Alatorre, bestselling author of the Savvy Stories series.

I signed up to attend one for Debra Purdy Kong (recommended by Kristina), to celebrate to launch of Dead Man Floating.  Then I noticed that some of my author friends were attending a 12-hour marathon launch for Elena Matthews‘ novella Look…

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Facebook Launch Party: Practice Makes Perfect

~ Kristina Stanley ~ 4 Comments

To continue with tips on hosting a FaceBook Launch party, I thought I’d let you know about two parties that are happening this weekend.

Two authors will be hosting their first launch party, and this is a great opportunity not only to support other authors but to see a launch party in action. Both releases are published by Imajin Books.

To entice you to stop by, I’ll be giving away one eBook copy (kindle format) of DESCENT during each party. There are other authors donating books too, but you’ll have to check out the parties to find out who.

First up is author Debra Purdy Kong. Click on her banner below and you’ll be taken to the sign-up page for her event. It’s on Saturday September 12th from 5 to 7 PM EST.

Screen Shot 2015-09-09 at 1.08.15 PM

DEAD MAN FLOATING  Description:

One wrong decision…

Security guard Evan Dunstan didn’t expect to find a body floating in a campus stream. An empty vodka bottle nearby suggests that the highly despised George Krenn, head of the plumbing department, had drunkenly fallen in. Refusing to let the death of a vile man ruin his romantic plans, Evan decides to leave the body for the next shift to find.

One friend in trouble…

When it’s discovered that Krenn was murdered, Evan has a lot of explaining to do. So does his friend Sully, Krenn’s least favourite student. Evan uses his hacking skills and campus knowledge to keep them both out of jail, but the investigation forces him to question Sully’s innocence.

One mystery to solve…

Uncovering the truth proves to be more than challenging. It may cost Evan his job, his friendship, and his woman. Will Evan find the killer, or will the killer find him first?

Second up is Kathleen Duhamal with DEEP BLUE. Click on the book cover below to be taken to the sign up page for her launch party. It’s on Sunday September 13th. 7 to 10 PM EST.

Screen Shot 2015-09-09 at 1.16.12 PM

DEEP BLUE Description:

Love is the most addicting drug of all…

“Barely-not-starving” Denver artist and cancer survivor Claire Martin has almost given up finding an older man with a youthful spirit when she meets charismatic New York soul singer Robert Silver of the legendary band Deep Blue. She soon learns that hero worship can be dangerous, especially when the object of her desire comes with a disturbing past.

Robert is smart and sexy with a self-deprecating sense of humor, but he’s also a man who has suffered from panic attacks, drug abuse, a well-publicized stint in rehab and the death of his wife, screenwriter Elaine Jordan. When his demons resurface on tour, jeopardizing his voice and the band’s future, Claire must decide if she’s willing to take the biggest risk of her life—betting her future on a troubled man.

Thanks for reading..

If you’re interested, you can buy or download a sample of DESCENT at:  myBook.to/Descent

Who are my blog readers?

~ Kristina Stanley ~ 21 Comments

My burning quest is to know more about who is reading and engaging with my blog. I’ve a computer mathematics degree, and it’s my nature to analyze data to make things (as in my blog) better. Today I’m focussing on writers.

So if you’re a writer, will you help me by answering a few questions?

Thank you for helping me!

Mystery Mondays: Allison Bruce – Spicy Romantic Suspense

~ Kristina Stanley ~ 10 Comments

There is so much to author Alison Bruce – Copywriter, editor, and graphic designer, but today were are talking about the romantic, suspenseful part of her life. You’ll get to check an excerpt of A BODY GUARD TO REMEMBER and hear what she has to say about her protagonist.

So here we go… From Alison herself:

A BODYGUARD TO REMEMBER

Book 1 Men in Uniform

By Alison Bruce

Lachesis Publishing Inc

“Classic romantic suspense spiced with warmth and humour”

“This is a fun read and Bruce is a talented storyteller”

Bruce-A Bodyguard to Remember-400

Some women daydream about being swept of their feet by Prince Charming. Others dream about seducing, or being seduced, by the sexy paranormal beast of their choice. I wanted new flooring, so I told myself a story that involved me getting it. After a while, the story became Pru Hartley’s… probably around the time I finally got new flooring.

Excerpt:

It started with a dead body on my living room floor.

I had just picked up the twins from their father. While they took the recycling bins from the porch to the curb, I unlocked the front door, which led directly into the living room. I turned on the overhead light as I passed the switch, froze, and then pressed my hand over my mouth to stop a scream. Since the man in the middle of the floor could hardly be alive with a gaping hole in the back of his head, I didn’t feel obliged to check on him. Holding my breath, I backed out of the house and called my ex to come take the kids back.

Then I called 9-1-1.
“Mom?”

“Hold on Boone.” I hooked his sister by her arm and guided them toward the car. “This is Prudence Hartley at 13 Wildwood Crescent in Guelph. I need the police.”

“Mom?” It was Hope this time, trying to pull away and look through our front window.

“Back to the car,” I hissed. “I was speaking to my kids, officer . . . yes, this is an emergency. There’s a strange man in my house. He’s dead.”

(End of excerpt)

Prudence Hartley has the same problems of every other single mom: getting her kids to school on time; juggling a gazillion errands while trying to get a full day’s work done; oh, don’t forget about dinner. But everything is about to change for Pru when she finds a dead man in her house. Or a dead spy to be exact.

Suddenly Pru’s problems become a tad more complicated and a lot more dangerous. When a federal agent named David Merrick shows up and whisks her and her kids into protective custody, Pru has so many questions running through her brain she doesn’t know where to begin.

How is she going to keep her kids safe? What was the dead spy looking for in her house? Why are they after her now? Oh and there’s one more question . . . just a pesky, minor thing. Why does Merrick have to be so damn sexy and protective?

Available at:

Author Bio

2013-Bruce-author-400Alison Bruce has had many careers and writing has always been one of them. Copywriter, editor and graphic designer since 1992, Alison has also been a comic book store manager, small press publisher, webmaster and arithmetically challenged bookkeeper. She is the author of mystery, romantic suspense and historical western novels.

abruce@alisonbruce.ca

www.alisonbruce.ca / alison bruce, have laptop – will travel / @alisonebruce

Next week on Mystery Mondays get ready to meet Melodie Campbell.