Thursday, December 13, 2018

What We're Writing: Lucy Burdette

LUCY BURDETTE: I’m working on the first draft of a book called tentatively The Happiness Connection. This isn’t a mystery, it’s women’s fiction, and I’m enjoying (most of the time) the challenge of figuring out how to move a plot along without any dead bodies. Of course, there can and should be secrets and twists to give momentum to any story, but this does feel hard and different. I’m used to murder and its aftermath propelling the characters and their actions.

I’m not finished with the Key West mystery series, but The Happiness Connection is a project I’ve been thinking about for ten years and really wanted to tackle. The main character is Dr. Cooper Hunziker, a new assistant professor at Yale who is in a battle for tenure with three other psychologists—and balancing the launch of her unexpected self-help book on happiness. Here she is meeting one of her competitors…

From The Happiness Connection by Lucy Burdette

“Cooper?” 
A voice floated from the office next to mine as I passed by. A woman with straight brown hair and ivory skin pulled her door wide open. Behind her, I caught a glimpse of hanging plants and paintings in vibrant colors. The floor was covered with a gorgeous Dhurrie rug in earth tones, and the standard-issue office furniture had been brightened up with crafty throw pillows. Not much in common between this space and my small office decorated with stacks of unpacked boxes. 

“I’m Mary Morris. I was out of town when you came to interview. Assistant professor, first year, studying the effects of communication strategies on the spread of infectious and insect-born diseases.” She laughed and added: “In laymen’s terms, to trumpet the Zika or not to trumpet? That is the question.”

“Nice to meet you.” We shook hands firmly, sumo wrestlers sizing up the competition. “Your office is gorgeous,” I said. 

Gargoyle courtesy of Ang Pompano
“Don’t be discouraged about your cubby,” she said, grinning. “It may be smallish and a little dark, but add a few lamps and bright pillows and presto—cozy! Besides, I almost took that space. You’re the only assistant professor in the department with a gargoyle view.”

She fell into step with me, slamming the door behind her and widening her blue eyes. “Are you having a book party for The Happiness Connection? My god, woman, I have to be frank. I was floored when I heard they hired you. Yale professors don’t do pop psychology.”  She laughed again, the faint lines radiating from the corners of her eyes crinkling adorably. “I guess you didn’t get that memo.”

I backed away, stunned by that much honesty. In case you’ve been living in a cave or don’t read women’s magazines or watch Dr. Oz, the pursuit of happiness has snowballed into a much bigger deal than when it was first introduced in the Declaration of Independence. Even bigger than getting fabulously rich or looking youthful and leggy, according to the latest issue of Woman Alive. And, I, Cooper Hunziker, Ph.D, am about to become one of the gurus. The biggest expert in America, with a fresh slant on how to tackle the problem of happiness that could change every woman’s life, if you believe the hoo-haw sent out by my book publicist. (I wouldn’t.) 


I didn’t feel like an expert: I felt like a fraud.

LUCY: So if you are a reader of plain fiction without murders and crimes, tell us about one that you've read and loved over the past year. And if you aren't, I'm curious about why not?

80 comments:

  1. I really enjoyed reading about the meeting between Cooper and Mary . . . what an interesting situation you’ve set up, Lucy. I can’t wait to read the rest of the story . . . .

    Books without murders and crimes? Well, yes, I do really enjoy reading those stories, but I do enjoy other books as well. I read a great deal of space/science books, but one of the “women’s fiction” books I really enjoyed this year was Sofia Grant’s “The Daisy Children,” a narrative spun from the real life catastrophic New London School explosion in 1937. The story encompasses generations of mothers and daughters. It’s a heart-wrenching tale of struggle and of dysfunctional relationships, but there are a few unexpected twists . . . .

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    1. Thanks Joan! I looked up Sophie Grant and realize that she's Sophie Littlefield, sister of our writing friend Mike Wiecek. I will put this book on my list

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  2. I hear you on writing without a murder, Lucy. Not sure I could do it! And I mostly read mysteries, too. But I highly recommend any of Holly Robinson's women's fiction (http://authorhollyrobinson.com/my-books/). Chance Harbor, Folly Cove, Beach Plum Island, Haven Lake, The Wishing Hill - all have themes of women, usually sisters, relationships, and always a bit of mystery, too. (She also has a hilarious memoir, The Gerbil Farmer's Daughter.)

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    1. thanks Edith, it's definitely a challenge. No wonder it's been on the back burner for ten years:). Now I'm off to investigate Holly Robinson

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    2. Thanks to Edith Maxell for the shoutout. I'm a women's fiction writer, but I read all sorts of crime fiction and psychological suspense, too--you're so right that you need a plot with lots of forward momentum no matter what you're writing, Lucy. I'm struggling to write historical fiction at the moment, and it is KILLING ME. I just finished a book I guess you would categorize as literary fiction--a debut novel called Winter Loon--and it was amazing. I also really loved The Great Believers, another literary novel. For women's fiction, the best book I've read lately is Sonja Yoerg's True Places--really a wonderful read. Good luck with your new novel!

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  3. I don’t read much outside of the mystery/cozy box. The exception is when one of my favorite “mystery” authors writes a book without murder. The excerpt sounds good, and I would definitely read the book.

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    1. Glad to hear that Chris! I too will follow favorite writers into new genres--at least to see where they go. Sometimes it's the other way around, like Jennifer Weiner writing a mystery. I actually thought she did a great job, but mostly she's stuck with what she's known for.

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  4. Your new approach intrigues me, Lucy Roberta, and I'm want to know more about Cooper. Thanks for the peek inside.

    About 50-60% of what I read is crime fiction. But I read a lot, 150+ books a year. Right now I'm reading EDUCATED by Tara Westover, and while a memoir, let me tell you it is full of mystery and mayhem and abuse. I looked at my list just now, and I see seven of the last 18 were other than crime fiction. This included two memoirs but no romance novels as such. I tend not to read those, although there is romance in everything, just as there must be mystery. Especially in the memoirs!

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    1. My hub has just finished Educated also. He loved it. and yes, memoirs need mystery to propel them along, though not necessarily crime.

      I wouldn't call this Happiness book a romance at all--I'm terrible at romance:). But I suppose that's the tricky part of calling it women's fiction, right?

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    2. Oops, I'm sorry. It was early and I'd had but one cup of coffee.

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  5. 7/18 is not 50-60%. Maybe 1/3 is a better estimate. Thing is, much of the non-fiction I read, as in THE GENE by Siddhartha Mukherjee are very long, 800 pages or so. Another very good one, less complicated than THE GENE is A BRIEF HISTORY OF EVERYONE WHO EVER LIVED, Adam Rutherford. This has been my year of the genome.

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  6. Kudos to you for taking on a different project, Lucy!

    I am...selective, when it comes to non-genre fiction. I don't want a book that meanders all over the place. You know, lots of navel-gazing, interior monologues, characters not doing anything. But if there's some sense of motion and action, I'm happy, even if there isn't a dead body.

    Mary/Liz

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    1. I agree Mary! two books that wouldn't be classified as mystery that I enjoyed a lot this year were THE LOST VINTAGE by Ann Mah, and Barbara O'Neal's The Art of Inheriting Secrets. Funny, both of them have a title that hints at mystery!

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  7. I read far more mysteries than anything else. I feel that often non-mystery novels lack structure and forward momentum. There is nothing I hate worse than getting to the end of a book and feeling that nothing happened. But that said, I can think of several I love. I think Eleanor Oliphant is Completely Fine by Gail Honeymanis the best book I read this year. Last year, I loved A Gentleman in Moscow by Amor Towles. And I almost always enjoy the novels of Anne Tyler and Alice Hoffman.

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    1. Eleanor Oliphant was such an interesting book. for the first half, I wasn't sure I finished but the payoff was excellent.

      Totally agree, something has to happen by the end!

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  8. Lucy, I love this setup. I know you've talked about THE HAPPINESSS CONNECTION for a long time. So exciting to see it on the page. GO GO GO!

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  9. I live on a steady diet of mysteries, spiced up with domestic thrillers. However, I adored Laurie Colwin's books, short stories, and cooking columns, and when I discovered Katherine Heiny had used Colwin's memorable quote "Before you became my mistress I lead a blameless life" for Standard Deviation, I read and blogged about it on Writers Who Kill. Heiny uses the same upscale NYC setting as Colwin, and her characterizations are spot-on. However, when the hapless guy finds his ex-wife dead, nothing happens. Where's the crime scene investigation? Blood tests? Detectives investigating? She just...drops dead, which was very unsatisfying. Though it was witty and brittle with engaging characters, I fled back into the pages of a solid mystery.


    Congratulations on your new venture! I've often wondered about people who read self-help books. I earnestly read them while raising three teenagers, but not since.

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    1. Thanks Margaret! I will have to go look up that book. I'm crazy about Laurie Colwin--rereading her HOME COOKING as we speak. And was thinking last night that I believe I missed some of her novels and stories and must go back...

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  10. Oh my, full marks for realistically capturing academia! I've dealt with many 'Marys' and a few 'Joes' too over the years. I'd like to see Cooper kick her (metaphorically) to the curb! I think it's great that you are stepping outside your comfort zone to tell a different kind of story, Lucy. I recently read The Lost for Words Bookshop by Stephanie Butland--can't remember if it was classified as women's fiction or mystery genre--sometimes it's hard to tell--most lives have some sort of mystery entwined within their years.

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    1. That book by Butland is sitting on my desk. I will have to move it up the pile...thanks Flora!

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  11. Hmm, it does seem as if most of the books I read involve murder. However I do read other stuff and one book I really enjoyed was The Dream Daughter by Diane Chamberlain. She made time travel seem to be very possible.

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    1. Have you read her Pretending to Dance? I may start with that one...

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    2. I did read that one and it was okay but her newest is really terrific!

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  12. I’ve this so much I just stood and applauded!!! Which was odd because I’m in a doctor’s waiting room...
    Roberta, this is sensational —touching wry timely honest realistic and simmering. I wonder if you have found your calling!
    Whoa. This is terrrific.

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    1. Sensational, well you are too kind! If I have found my calling, it’s about time don’t you think LOL? But your reaction means very much to me. Thanks

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  13. I just finished Elevation by Stephen King. I don’t usually read his books but someone recommended it.

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    1. Sandy, did you like it? I know that Hank recommended a Stephen King to John and he read it and loved it. Can’t remember the name though

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  14. This sounds great! Women's fiction is my favorite genre after mysteries.

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    1. Thanks Marla, me too. I think with the world seeming so darn crazy lately, I wanted to read less dark. And probably write a little less dark as well. Maybe things will improve in the universe!

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  15. True confession: women's fiction was my favorite genre until I started meeting and being friends with so many mystery writers, 10-12 years ago. I've read mysteries since first grade, of course, but I've always loved good, well-told stories about other's lives, especially women.

    And as Rhys said in our Tuscany workshop: all fiction is mystery. If it isn't, it isn't much of a story, on reflection.

    This past year I really enjoyed Natalie Baszile's Queen Sugar, and the most recent non-mystery I enjoyed was The Paris Seamstress, by Natasha Lester.

    Roberta, I love, love the beginning of this book. Cannot wait to read the rest.

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    1. Karen, The Paris Seamstress is on my list. Glad to hear you liked it.

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    2. I have the Paris seamstress in my to be read pile also. And will check out the other ones – thanks for the recommendations! And yes, Rhys is always right

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  16. I always sit up and take notice when an author says that they have lived with a story idea for an extended length of time. It feels to me as though they are about to present a fine wine that needed time to develop layers of complexity. No pressure! I love what you given us so far and I want more.

    My reading extends to other areas of fiction and the occasional memoir. I know we both hold a fondness for Gail Honeyman's "Eleanor Oliphant". Ann Patchett is another favorite author, most recently "Commonwealth" and "The Magician's Assistant". I have discovered Ann Wertz Gavin, "On Maggie's Watch". Finally there's two books that, in my opinion, must be read in tandem. Fredrik Backman (of the "Man Called Ove" fame) has "My Grandmother Asked Me To Tell You She's Sorry" and "Britt-Marie Was Here". Oh, I almost forgot. Marian Keyes! Irish humor, five sisters, each just off the mark from center. You can tell from my reading list I'm drawn to the stories of women who don't have their "stuff" together! I know I would fit right in.

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    1. Thanks so much Lydia! Yes you are right I enjoyed Eleanor and also love Ann Patchett. She’s such a great role model for writers. I haven’t read your other suggestions so I’m going to look them up.

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  17. Kudos, Roberta, on stretching yourself as an author and artist. It's always nice when my favorite writers take on a new challenge. The excerpt is intriguing, although it's easy to imagine that Mary might be found in her cheery little office, slumped over her attractively accessorized desk with a pair of scissors embedded between her shoulders.

    I read non-genre fiction from time to time, but it doesn't always satisfy me as a reader who wants to escape the trials of everyday life. I loved Keziah Frost's "The Reluctant Fortuneteller," Helen Simonson's "Major Pettigrew's Last Stand," and Maddie Dawson's "Matchmaking for Beginners."

    I've long since given up on angsty novels about middle-aged college professors with insane crushes on their students--written by middle-aged college professors seeking greater meaning in life and the inevitability of death. I could teach them far more about life and death over a cup of coffee than they can reveal to me in their 400-page whitter. Generally speaking, I wrestle with enough gritty problems of survival and redemption without having to go home and read about it, too. Plus non-genre writers don't mind killing the dog in the name of realism. I'd far, far rather spend my pleasure time on a book where the girl gets the right guy, the dog is rescued, and justice is served.

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    1. Gigi, if you ever make it to So CA please let me take you to lunch!! By the way, consider this a standing invitation to any of the JRW family. I loved "Major Pettigrew's Last Stand". And I agree, Mary just seems to demand a messy end of life scene.

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    2. Those three that you mentioned our favorites of mine as well GIgi. Poor Mary, if this does not sell as women’s fiction, clearly I can stab her in the back with her scissors and move on from there LOL

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    3. I loved Major Pettigrew's Last Stand so much that I have "lent" it twice, and when I didn't get it back, bought another copy.

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    4. Hi Gigi, Normally, I'd agree with you on the fiction about/by middle aged college professors, all neurotic, eyeing the 20-year-old, etc. Especially the dog dying. BUT one of my favorite novels of all time! even if a dog dies in the beginning, is Straight Man by Richard Russo. So funny! Seriously! I loved his Empire Falls, but after that, must confess to not being much of a fan. But Straight Man is just great!

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    5. Thank you, Lyda! And Karen, I have stopped lending people my books. If I want them to read it, I just buy them a copy as a gift. I figure I'll have to buy a new copy anyway, so I might as well make it a happy occasion, rather than an irritated one.

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    6. Hear! Hear! Gigi, I am like you. I've had it with angst. Enough with the angst already! I am looking for a little intrigue and a lot of laughter. Thank you for mentioning my book as one you like!

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  18. I actually love "women's fiction" - which is to my mind simply the marketing tag for "novels written by and for women." No one calls Martin Amis's novels "Men's fiction."

    So, recent reads in the genre that I loved? I enjoy everything Nancy Thayer writes, and if you're a woman of a certain age, you definitely want to read her "Hot Flash Club" series. I've praised Curtis Sittenfeld - I've enjoyed all of her novels, and ma looking forward to her first short story collection. And for ideal fun reading, Kevin Kwan's CRAZY RICH ASIAN trilogy. I got the first book from the library and am asking for the other two for Christmas!

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    1. I know Julia, the name tagging is ridiculous! It’s so funny, I had no interest in the crazy Rich Asians at trilogy but I’m hearing so many good things about it that I must try

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    2. Julia, I just bought the trilogy by Kevin Kwan. It was a special deal for the Nook. Can't wait for the time to read it.

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    3. There's a different tag for Martin Amis' novels- Tedious.

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  19. Roberta, I love the beginning and I can't wait to see where you're going with this story! Such an interesting premise--telling other people how to be happy certainly presents personal challenges for a character.

    I do read lots of things other than mystery--memoirs, historical novels, non-fiction, some literary fiction, although I have issues with both the "literary fiction" and "women's fiction" labels. I did love The Lost Vintage, but there was a mystery in it, and a good romance!

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  20. Shalom Reds. I read several novels this year that were not mysteries. The first was David Joy’s Where All Light Tends To Go. I was introduced to the author by my brother who is active in the Common Sense Regulation of Firearms movement. He recommended a New York Times Magazine article by David Joy on the subject and I found his writing so compelling that I sought out more. There is a lot of crime in the book but it’s not really a mystery or whodunit. It’s sort of about drugs and crime in the rural back roads of North Carolina where David Joy is from. I gave it four stars. I rarely give out 5 stars except for real page turners.

    The second book that came to mind was Kent Haruf’s book Plainsong. I actually bought the book off a newsstand in a bus terminal about 20 years ago and never got around to reading it. Anyhow, a local church book club that I was thinking of joining had it on the schedule for their September read. It’s about average people making their way through life the best they know how. I never got to the book club but I enjoyed the book sufficiently that I have put the other books of this trilogy on my TBR list. I was sorry to find out after reading the book that Haruf had died within the last ten years. I gave it four stars.

    The most recent book was Jodi Picoult’s Small Great Things. This comes close to being a mystery. I think they call the genre Legal Thriller. It is also a book about race in America which will usually boost a book closer to the top of my to be read list. I thought that some of the plot twists seemed a little contrived. However, in most respects, it was a page-turner. (I listened to the audiobook and the book is written in 3 first-person narratives so three different readers were used.)

    Lucy/Roberta, I am somewhat fascinated by academia and the intrigue of the ivory tower, so I will probably enjoy your forthcoming book.

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    1. Hi David, I haven’t read any of the ones you talk about so thoughtfully, so will have to check them out. I’ve read quite a few novels by Jodi Picault. She is definitely the master and has more plot twist than I could ever think up. I appreciate the kind words about your interest in academia too!

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  21. Roberta,
    This is so exciting to read! I just love that you are trying something new, and what you've shared here does pull the reader in. funny, going from mystery to not-mystery and finding it hard. I'm going from my not-mystery debut to a mystery--and finding it hard! If it's not a mystery, you can be much more of a "discovery writer," figuring it out as it comes to you. The mystery genre seems to really require a good outline, and knowing most of what's going to happen before you write.

    Anyway, I love the premise of this new book of yours! Can't wait to read it!

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    1. Thanks Keziah! I know you will remember that Norbert saw this in my cards… And know that we are all waiting for your second book, whatever it turns out to be. We should have a discussion about whether you have to plot a mystery. I know some of us, like Debs, Plot very carefully. While others of us run with a premise or a character. Maybe it’s that anything you haven’t done before feels hard? That would make sense

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    2. Maybe it wasn’t “supposed” to be a mystery, but The Reluctant Fortune Teller had many mysteries explored and solved. Thankfully, no dead bodies (that my gray haired brain remembers), even with the fall through the ice. So loved reading it, Keziah, and hope to meet Norbert again. He is waiting for me in Florida, ready for a reread as I snowbird.
      Not a “student of literature”, so I have no basis to understand “genres”. That The Number 1 Ladies Detective novels by Alexander McCall Smith are classified as mysteries puzzles me. The mysteries revealed/explored/solved in these novels are the “resolutions” of the expected and unexpected happenings of life. It is these kinds of resolutions I look forward to reading in The Happiness Connection, Lucy. Thank you for showing us the introduction of Cooper.

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    3. Thank you, Lucy/Roberta! It is so encouraging to read that you are waiting for my second book! And as I work through this revision, encouragement is what I cannot get enough of!
      And Elizabeth, thank you for noting the mystery elements in The Reluctant Fortune-Teller. I agree!

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  22. Oh, Lucy, this is fabulous and what a wonderful challenge for your formidable writing skills to tackle a new genre. Bravo! Honestly though, the character of Mary made me feel a bit stabby! LOL! I read everything - all genres, fiction and non-fiction. Right now, I am devouring When Rishi Met Dimple (audio) and Old Man's War (pbk), but other books I've recently enjoyed are Sherry Thomas's Lady Sherlock series, Sarah MacLean's Scoundrels series, and my current non-fiction read is Becoming by Michelle Obama.

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  23. Poor Mary, and she really doesn’t turn out to be a bad character whatsoever, but you all have given me some ideas about how to expand the story! And thanks for all your suggestions.

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    1. Mary is clearly bad. Just saying. Xxxx

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    2. well, maybe she's just nervous and insecure. Which makes her awkward, which comes across as, er, b***** or, maybe she's not nice after all.

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  24. Roberta, The Happiness Connection sounds wonderful, and the snippet here has me already rooting for Cooper. It seems that I'm reading all mystery and crime these days, but there are some authors of general fiction for whom I am a continuing fan and reader. Those authors include Jamie Ford (Hotel on the Corner of Bitter and Sweet is one of my all-time favorites, and I love his subsequent books, too), Anna Quindlen (I'm behind on her books, not having read this year's Alternate Side. Her book Black and Blue was a powerful book on abused women trying to get away from abusers.), Lori Lansens (Her book The Girls is one I want everyone to read, and it will forever be in my top five favorite books. Her latest, out a couple of years ago, The Mountain Story might just be on equal footing with The Girls.), Elizabeth Kostova (Her book The Historian is another in my top five all-time favorites, and as someone who has lots of trouble narrowing down favorites, saying a book is in my top five is quite something for me. The Shadow Land is Kostovo's latest, and I can't believe I still haven't read it. I do have it.), Geraldine Brooks (Her complexity of subject matter never ceases to amaze and interest me. From her fantastic plague book, Yeare of Wonders, to Caleb's Crossing and more, you will live history through great narrative.), Sue Monk Kidd (The Secret Life of Bees and onward, her stories will touch you.), Karen Joy Fowler (We Are All Completely Beside Ourselves is another favorite, at least top ten, of mine, and it rocked me hard. On the other end of the spectrum, Fowler's The Jane Austen Book Club is a delightful story and a great movie, too.), Stef Penney (She is one of the most underrated authors, who in real life overcame agoraphobia and whose books The Tenderness of Wolves, an award winner, and The Invisible Ones are also favorites. I still need to read her giant tome that came out last year, Under a Pole Star.), and Alan Brennert (His book Moloka'i is another top five for me, and his other books, Honolulu and Palisades Park are also wonderful. In February, he is coming out with Daughter of Moloka'i, and I can't wait. His Moloka'i book prompted my trip to this Hawaiian island in real life.)

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  25. I rarely read non-genre fiction any more, unless it’s a book that was recommended to me by someone who knows me well. Too much of it is boring or depressing. When I find myself asking myself “what’s the point here?” I usually drop the book.

    Roberta, I promise I will read your book! I’m confident that your mystery-writing skills will lend suspense to whatever you write!

    DebRo

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    1. You’re the best Deb! I keep reminding myself that something has to happen and that I need the character to be in trouble…

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  26. I like the start of this story! Just ouch! Don't know how Mary will turn out, but ouch! I like to mix in so-called women's fiction with murder and mayhem. Some recent ones are Bellewether by Susanna Kearsley; Printed Letter Bookshop by Katherine Reay; Homefront by Jessica Scott; When We Found Home by Susan Mallery; Good Luck With That by Kristan Higgins; The Garden of Small Beginnings by Abbi Waxman; How to Walk Away by Katherine Center. And just about anything by Karen White and Beatriz Williams.

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    1. Oh boy with all these ideas, I could quit writing and just sit around and read. Heaven!

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    2. Don’t you dare Lucy! Not after that snippet of Mary and Cooper. By the way, Mary did not strike me a “bad”, just protective of what she has achieved and not trusting that achievement enough to stand against Cooper’s achievement.

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  27. Just remembered Anne Tyler and how much I have loved all her books, with nary a murder, as I recall.

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    1. Yes me too on Anne Tyler. She puts in enough angst to make up for the lack of murder…

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  28. Growing up, I used to read a lot of fantasy and science fiction. I don't read much fantasy anymore and my science fiction reading is mostly limited to tie in prose novels to Star Trek or Firefly.

    Beyond that, I will on a very rare occasion read a biography about a coach or a musician that I like.

    Otherwise, give me death or give me liberty (from reading). I just don't have an interest in reading about anything that doesn't involve a murder, an investigation, a body and a few bullets flying through the air. It's what I like, and so I stick with what works for me.

    And I'm pretty sure I'm not the intended target for anything that would be marketed as "women's fiction". I hope all goes well with the book of course, because who doesn't hope that an author does well. It just isn't my cup of (fill in drink of choice).

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    1. Lol Jay! That’s the trouble with labeling something women’s fiction

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  29. I just started reading TONY'S WIFE and having to retrain my mystery-loving brain to other sorts of conflicts.
    You can do it! Relationships are strong in your mysteries.

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    1. Thanks Mary! I figure if I borrow what I know how to do from mysteries (relationships, food, and some psychological angst), I should be okay!

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  30. I find it hard to come up with things I've read lately that don't involve murder, crime, mayhem of some sort. Even the last of the lovely Antony Trollope that I've read had crime (even murder): Orley Farm. Well, I suppose it is hard to get to 600 pages without stabbing someone! And I'm looking forward to the latest Sheri Holman over the winter break. It's about witches. Likely some crime and assorted mayhem.
    Happy reading all!
    -Melanie

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