Blog-Letter June 2022

 June 1, 2022

Well hello, June!

June - still feels like the end of a school year, holding the anticipation of summer-long freedom from books and exams. Birds chirp the loudest, the greenery is lush and the days are longer. The fragrance of  freshly mowed grass is a welcome return. (Apologies to those with allergies) Maybe a summer vacation to anticipate adds to the joy of June. And winter seems so far away!

Liz's Book Reviews - Two this month!

From Chevy Stevens  - Still Missing

One of my favourite authors! I read "That Night" several years ago and was thoroughly engaged by her style of writing. So, I recently downloaded "Still Missing", not realizing it was her debut novel. What a non-stop read!  I was hooked from the very first page and went along for the ride with Annie O'Sullivan as she relived her abduction and captivity at the hands of a psychopathic monster. A brilliant tale, which I read in two sittings. It was so hard to put down.

 

How the abduction affected not only Annie but her family and friends make this a book that touches base on all our human emotions. No wonder Chevy Stevens is a New York Times Bestseller!

This month I also reviewed "The Pure World Comes" by Rami Ungar

When I was a teenager I loved gothic horror stories. The creepier the better. And I hoped this one would deliver, but sadly, I think it fell short. While there was gothic terror combined with daring science and technology of 1894 England, in my opinion, it lacked substance.

The protagonist is a young housemaid, Shirley Dobbins, employed with the Avondale family. Content enough with her station in life, her world quickly changes when she finds herself working at The Hunting Lodge, an estate outside of London, England after a family tragedy renders the Avondale heirs orphans. A mysterious uncle, Sir Joseph Hunting, comes to take his niece and nephew to live with him at his estate - Hunting Lodge. Shirley accompanies them.

She becomes involved with the baronet’s mysterious scientific project, while at the same time contending with romantic interest from Griffin Avondale.  Terrifying visions and apparitions haunt the Lodge and Shirley must put the pieces of the puzzle together to save herself and others.

During the story, Shirley’s ties with Jack the Ripper add another layer to the ghastly and gruesome events unfolding at Hunting Lodge.

The story premise is good, but it felt rushed, with not enough time spent building the gloomy, eerie suspense I had hoped for.

Still, if you like hideous scenes of gore, and an underlying awkward romance this might be for you.

    

                                                           

Pam's thoughts on June                     

"June is bustin' out all over."

 I loved singing this song at the top of my lungs. From the Rogers and Hammerstein’s musical -Carousel . I was with an amateur theatre group in my teens and this was one of my favourites as we attempted to put on the musical. 

June is certainly bustin' out in the garden and it feels long overdue. The Magnolia and other tree blossoms are superb this year. Rhododendrons and all manner of green popping up. 

I married in June and arrived in Canada in June to see the world, but here I've lived for the last fifty-six years. Stop doing the math!

June 2007 is also a significant year. Liz and I started on our collaborative journey as Jamie Tremain that year. So what do we have in store for this June to celebrate our fifteen years of working together?

We were still blondes when we started out!

A patio for lunch overlooking Lake Ontario and making plans to publish book #6. The third in our Grant's Crossing series. Editing, rewriting, beta readers' input and formatting our new baby - Acting Off-Script - A Grant's Crossing Story. We'll also decide on a book cover design with our designer extraordinaire, Jennifer Gibson.

Stay tuned for  updates on the publication date.

May 24th-28th

I attended the virtual Maple Leaf Mystery Conference last week. Liz had other plans so we'll watch the recordings together. Always eager to learn new things and listen to my fellow authors from Crime Writers of Canada.

It was great to see both old friends from past live conferences and new authors participating. There was something for everyone so kudos to the organizers of this event. I saw many familiar faces amongst the moderators and interviewers.

 A star-studded lineup shared their writing life. Maureen Jennings of  Murdoch Mysteries fame and Ian Rankin, who hails from my hometown of Edinburgh. I'm a big fan of his REBUS books and his favourite pub the Oxford bar. That's Rebus's favourite bar, I'm not sure about Ian.

Saturday afternoon was our very own Canadian maestro, Vicki Delany, the prolific author of 40 books.  Listening to her speak about her writing process was fascinating, but daunting. Very good interview.

Check their web pages and links for more information.

As awesome as this virtual platform is my hope is for a live conference in the future.

Chat in July.

Last Word from Liz:

And only because it's June, here's an appropriately themed quick and easy recipe - and oh..one which will NEVER be served at any Jamie Tremain function! However, if you might be a fan, do let us know!

SAUTEED JUNE BUGS

Ingredients:

• 12 (that's one dozen) live June Bugs
• 1 Tbsp Olive Oil
• 1/2 Tsp Salt
• 1/2 Tsp Chili Powder

Easy Peasy Directions:

• Add the olive oil to a skillet and heat until the oil shimmers (is it afraid of the live bugs about to descend into it?)
• Toss in the June Bugs (because they are NOT going voluntarily)
• Saute for about 5 minutes, or until the screaming stops - mine not theirs
• Sprinkle with salt and chilli powder
• Garnish with fresh parsley
  
• Serve immediately (I suggest copious amounts of a good Cabernet Sauvignon as a wine pairing)

 

 

Honestly, this is a serious recipe but I couldn't resist some commentary.

Cheers?

Pam's having the last word...Yuck and more Yuck!

BYE BYE BLOODY WORDS :-(

What a weekend!  June 6 - 8 gone in a blur – thank goodness for digital and phone cameras!  Other than sleeping, I do believe just about every minute of the Bloody Words Mystery Conference has been captured.  Great memories and fun times.   Of course one person can’t possibly cover every aspect of the conference but I can recount what I enjoyed from my perspective.

Pam and I spent time hanging around with authors Gloria Ferris, Kay Kendall, and HOSS Magazine editor, Lorie Lee Steiner.  What a blast we had. Started with an enjoyable lunch on Friday .  The weather in Toronto couldn’t have been better and it felt wonderful to be more of a tourist than a resident or nine-to-fiver.

Friday lunch with Liz, Gloria, Kay and Pam

The Hyatt Regency on King was our locale for both the convention and our toothbrushes.  Pam and I shared a room on the 15^th floor.  The room itself was – hmmm – shall I say interesting?  Recently renovated, the headboard behind two double beds was a massive curved and mirrored focal point.  No bed side lights, but overhead lights reminiscent of individual airplane seat lighting provided illumination.

The curved theme moved to the opposite wall, where a large flat screen TV was imbedded into a similar framework.  This leaves no room for a traditional dresser of any sort, but a wall mounted until with several receptacles about the size of breadboxes for storage.   Not much counter space.

However all that of might have been forgiven had it not been for the bathroom’s natural light source.  This was provided via a large (almost floor to ceiling) window pane of opaque glass in the wall between the bathroom and my bed, and also was a panel in the pocket door of the bathroom.   A little unnerving, but I guess that’s the trend these days. 

                                                                  Gloria, Lorie, Liz

The beds, however, were superb.  I love feather pillows and Friday night promised to provide a deep and relaxing sleep.  After the first day’s activities we weren’t ready for bed until nearly 11.  Not unexpected for the event.   What was unexpected was the fire alarm going off just after midnight!

A piercing alarm would only be interrupted by a very calm voice indicating a “situation” was being investigated on the 12^th floor and to please standby.  This cycle was repeated several times and then just stopped – with no clarification or all clear.  And only when it stopped could you hear the fire trucks!  Some souls did make the trek downstairs and out to the street and the rumour later attributed the alarm to some incense burning.

Saturday was a very busy day, lots of panels to attend  - sometimes difficult to make a decision which one to sit in on as three panels at a time ran side by side.    The international guest speaker was British author MichaelJecks    He's a master of medieval murder mysteries - one of his 34 published novels was in my loot bag and I’m looking forward to reading it.  Information on CSI – Toronto procedures, police procedures, weapons, etc was available.   As was advice from Agents and Editors, and even financial advice on Death, Taxes, and Contracts.   A humour panel and panels highlighting the evil that men do, were also featured.    All in all a wealth of information provided in a relaxed, informative and more often than not, humourous setting.  Just because we like to find ways to kill people doesn’t mean we can’t have fun at the same time.

Friday evening's last event was  "Books with Legs" - here Gloria Ferris sports the cover from her latest best seller - Corpse Flower.  Authors are such good sports!

Saturday’s evening festivities encouraged attendees to dress as their favourite characters.  We had a hippie, a fireman – ironically, femme fatales, and many others.   Crime Writers of Canada new President, Vicki Delany, wore a stunning gown highlighting her Klondike Mystery series.

Yes, its a fireman  :-)

Our Gang of Five - Pam, Kay, Gloria, Lorie and Liz

aka - Jessica Fletcher, Hippie Chick, Biker Chick, Femme Fatale and Kay Scarpetta

Pam with Vicki Delany

 A fun evening all around.  Although somewhat bittersweet as it heralded the demise of Bloody Words.  Many of us are hoping someone out there will be able to take it on in some form or other.  Such a shame to lose this amazing network and showcase of Canadian Crime talent.

Sunday morning provided one last workshop and then it was time to head home.  Pam, Gloria and I had been fortunate to have Pam’s husband Peter drive us in on Friday.  However he was unable to pick us up on Sunday.  No problem we said, Union Station is just a hop skip and a jump away and we’ll grab a GO Train back to Oakville.  Oh my.   Where’s a transporter beam when you need it!   

Union Station is undergoing major renovations and hauling baggage – now much heavier with the addition of a few books – made for a strenuous workout!   Still we made our connections and arrived safely in Oakville, where the rain had started.  So glad it had held off for the conference.

And now its time for reflection, organizing photos and tax receipts and wondering which new book to read next!

You can check out the Crime Writers of Canada Website for news on winners of the Arthur Ellis Awards, held the evening of June 5.  Lots of other interesting news on upcoming books from its members as well.  Canadian Crime Writing is alive and flourishing!

And many, many heartfelt thanks to Cheryl Freedman, Caro Soles and all the Bloody gang and its volunteers for countless hours of hard work, organization and good times.  Your efforts have been truly appreciated and will provide ongoing memories for a long time.

Our interview with the fun loving Kay Kendall will be coming up later this month and even now Pam is hard at work scheduling other interviews for the coming months.

I'm back to work on Wednesday and am glad I arranged to take today and tomorrow off to recover!

Have a great week - Cheers!

Liz

Blame Game

The Groundhog should be shot.  The Groundhog got it wrong. He lied!  Poor groundhog – such responsibility to bear and he can’t even talk!  Never mind that he’s annually disturbed from a nice winter snooze to suit our purposes.  Perhaps this is his payback for years of abuse and who could blame him?  Or perhaps it’s the fault of ever optimistic golf courses announcing they’d be open April 11.  Oh, and the fact that I switched out my winter tires for new all season tires on Thursday would have nothing to do with it either.  For those who live in my neck of the woods I don’t have to explain the lovely weather we’ve endured the past couple of days.  Yesterday morning, I stood in the teeming rain for almost twenty minutes trying to hack off the coat of ice on my car.  Only to sit for the next forty minutes in rain soaked jeans as I took a slow drive to work.

We love to blame don’t we?

But now the weekend has arrived and while it’s still dreary and damp out there I’m happy I can stay put, cozy and warm.  Some chores beckon, but after that, coffee and writing are on the agenda.  Unless it doesn’t happen and then I’ll have to blame the headache pounding away – a coffee and aspirin will hopefully put that to rest in short order.

I spoke of Pinterest last time and yesterday followed a link on Twitter to a commentary on The Creative Penn using Pinterest as a marketing tool for writing and publishing. Some helpful advice there and I’ll see what I can do to incorporate myself and Jamie Tremain into this new found and enjoyable internet tool.  (Time I added the word Pinterest to my computer’s dictionary!)

Enjoyed the day with Pam last Saturday – lunch at Stoney’s was not a disappointment at all!  Then stopped by for a short visit (tea and scones) with my sister and her husband.   And we've diarized May 4 as our next day to hook up -  the plan is to finalize our short story entry for Scene of the Crime.   As well, this week we received back another instalment of review from our CWC mentor, AlisonBruce, so there’s discussion and revising to be done on Body Perfect.  Hoping that Pam and I can do some online chatting later today.

Don’t forget to stay tuned for April 29’s interview between Pam and Barbara Fradkin.   So there’s a reminder and if you miss it, you can’t blame me!

Have a great weekend - and cut the groundhog some slack - he's probably not happy either.

Cheers!

Liz

Busy Saturday

No sleeping in this Saturday –  up early and on the road to spend the day with Pam.  After some catching up it was down to JT business.  We now have a mentor provided through our membership to CWC and she has reviewed our synopsis.  We agreed with her questions and suggestions and spent a good part of the day re-working it.  Later today I’ll be sending it back to her, along with about 50 pages of Body Perfect for her to review.  Next up will be a meeting with the three of us and we’re hopeful of some positive feedback.

Seems that many of we writers are like a dog with a bone when it comes to our writing – we just can’t leave it alone!  After some of our mentor’s comments, we’ve decided a small re-work of the last few pages is in order.   All to the cause of strengthening our characters and wanting future readers asking for more.

We paused from our musings to enjoy a delicious lunch – Pam had baked a scrumptious onion pie and added a tasty salad.  (Oh and I DID bring the almonds) Another couple of hours spent on all things Jamie Tremain and I believe we had a productive day. 

From Pam’s it was only 5 minutes over to visit with my sister and her husband.  Today is her birthday so it was nice to hand deliver a card instead of previous years sending in the mail.  Enjoyed a nice visit, reminiscing over childhood memories.   Another very nice meal enjoyed – chicken cacciatore.  How nice to have had two yummy meals in one day that I didn't have to prepare.

As well we bemoaned the sad state of disappearing language skills. My personal pet peeve?   Garnish vs garnishee – how annoyed I am when newscasters report on “his salary was garnished”….really.  Personally I’d welcome a garnish – something extra – on my pay instead of a garnishee.   I'm continually grateful to my father who was a huge stickler on grammar.

Then it was time to hit the road at about 7:00.  The sloppy weather forecast for the day had held off, until I was just reaching the highway...then the rain and incredibly high winds hit.  I watched the temperature drop and as it neared the freezing mark the drive became a little nerve wracking and I was quite relieved to reach my exit.  No doubt the tulips I saw peeking out of flower beds outside my sister’s building are in total shock this morning. 

This morning it’s quite evident winter has returned, with a blanket of snow and dangerously high winds. 

For today it will be a chance to review notes from yesterday and get back to our mentor.  Also have some ‘housecleaning’ to do on Jamie Tremain documents in order that everything stays organized.

Birthday wishes again for today to my sister Michele and to a good friend at work, Stephanie!

Cheers!

Liz

New Year - Fresh Start

Happy New Year to one and all!

Enjoyed a very productive day with Pam today – well it was productive after we spent some time organizing files and folders.  Once that was out of the way it was down to business.   Earlier this week we received some writing advice from Melodie Campbell and after some discussion Pam and I decided to go with a couple of her suggestions.  One, and its a major one, is to rethink the names we have given our main characters, Paul and Dorothy.   

Ironically Pam and I had just recently been wondering whether to make a change in Dorothy’s surname to better reflect her Irish background, but a whole new name?  Today we mulled over some names, liking some more than others, but waiting for the one which would jump out at us.  Eventually we decided on ......Caitlin Dennehy – “Cat”.  The more we spoke aloud Cat Dennehy the more we liked it and so as of now we say good bye to ‘Dorothy Del Rio’ and hello to Cat Dennehy.   And as for her partner, Paul?   A fresh start for him seemed appropriate and therefore -  we introduce  Gavin Steele of Steele & Associates.   Of course one name change leads to another – but you’ll have to read the book to find out who else has had some renovation!

As well the first four or five chapters are in for some major revising, not changing the gist of the story, just the layout.  From there we decided it was time to add some more depth to Paul’s, er Gavin’s, character; so we added some more details to the man and his life.  Hopefully once we incorporate some of these revisions the tale of Body Perfect will be the better for it.   We have four pages of typed up notes that Pam and I will be using as we both, individually, go about making some changes to the beginning of the story.  We will compare our progress in a week or so and see how close we are to what we discussed and then merge both sets of revisions into the opening scenes of the next draft.    Sounds like a lot of work perhaps, but I for one, feel totally energized by the prospects of reconstructing what we already have!

As well, Jamie Tremain has decided to definitely attend BloodyWords 2012 in Toronto this year; hotel registration is on my to do list before the weekend is over, and we will apply for associate membership with Crime Writers of Canada – indicators of our intention to continue our quest towards becoming published!  We’ve also received some great comments on LinkedIn after Pam requested comments from other writers who have worked collaboratively on their work with other writers.

And so now it will be time for some disciplined writing sessions; not having the luxury of some retired writers, who shall remain nameless, I’ll need to carve out some precious time each day for Jamie Tremain.   Some upcoming vacation time in February will be spent in front of the computer no doubt – vying for time I want to spend cleaning out closets and drawers.

So the day may draw to an end, but it marks the beginning of a new focus on Jamie Tremain and in particular Body Perfect.  The New Year is always a good time for fresh starts!

Cheers!

Liz

Thank you ....

....to Terry from Forensic Science Technician who was checking out the blog the other day and noticed a broken link for Crime Writers of Canada.  In appreciation, a link to his site has now been added and I hope you will check it out.  I think it may be a very useful resource tool for Pam and I in future writing!  The broken link has now been repaired.


Pam has been quite busy with her writing class and is picking up some very useful feedback and tips; need I say that I am more than a little envious!  The beginnings of our second story with Paul and Dorothy are germinating and I'm anxious to start fleshing it out.


At the moment I am thoroughly enjoying Linwood Barclay's The Accident - another satisfying page turner! With a long weekend (Thanksgiving) approaching I'm hopeful that I'll be able to enjoy reading straight through to the end.  Although I'm going to have to spend some time on a spreadsheet or two from work, so I should probably get that out of the way first so that I can enjoy just relaxing with an engrossing tale.


Hopefully Pam will drop in soon with her own update on what's been happening; for instance she told me she had quite an exciting time near Costco today..perhaps she will share.


Thanks again to Terry for reporting the broken link and sharing his in depth web site!


Happy Thanksgiving to all our Canadian readers.


Cheers!


Liz