tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1001156153899984046.post1878330108149530371..comments2024-03-28T04:55:50.771-04:00Comments on Jungle Red Writers: What Would Mary Write: 2016 Mary Higgins Clark Award nominees Jungle Red Writershttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16646429819267618412noreply@blogger.comBlogger38125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1001156153899984046.post-27810015540112111232016-04-06T23:42:21.354-04:002016-04-06T23:42:21.354-04:00This was so great to read--clearly a productive to...This was so great to read--clearly a productive topic, and it made me happy to learn we all love all the nominees and appreciate a squaddie or two.Rebeccahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14412145712561180422noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1001156153899984046.post-1066721889582733562016-04-06T20:15:48.223-04:002016-04-06T20:15:48.223-04:00Thanks Hallie for inviting us to do this post with...Thanks Hallie for inviting us to do this post with you! I'm really enjoying the responses here about the criteria. One other thing that occurred to me: One of my favorite books of all time was Louisa May Alcott's An Old-fashioned Girl. And I remember after great tensions and misunderstanding, the hero and heroine finally get together at the end (with a kiss). And LMA interjects with one of those "Dear Readers" kind of breaking the wall kind of lines: She says something like, "Dear reader, I will leave it to your imagination to decide what happens next. For those who have been fortunate to experience love scenes, any description will seem tame. For those who have never had this experience, any description will surely seem wild and overwhelm the senses, or seem implausible." So I probably always just rely on the reader's imagination to fill in the blanks :-) <br />Susie Calkinshttp://www.susannacalkins.comnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1001156153899984046.post-3243411828774137652016-04-06T19:06:30.315-04:002016-04-06T19:06:30.315-04:00First, congrats to all nominees! I know that writi...First, congrats to all nominees! I know that writing action scenes of any type is walking a fine line. Must say I agree with Karen in Ohio, Ann in Rochester and Pat D. I read in a wide variety of genres. As for sex, does anyone recall Nancy Martin's ( of the Blackbird Sisters series) wonderfully written (and HOT) sex in the telephone booth scene? I sure do! And some men, like John Sanford and David Corbett, among others, write very believable sex scenes, and good stories! So, I guess what turns me off is bad,sloppy writing, redundancy and gratuitous, brutal violence. Otherwise, I'm game!Lynn in Texashttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16624333137637840905noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1001156153899984046.post-16654616084347675782016-04-06T16:04:10.344-04:002016-04-06T16:04:10.344-04:00Edith: You get to be right. Again! ;-)Edith: You get to be right. Again! ;-)Hallie Ephronhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04759439029582054503noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1001156153899984046.post-7991879427100705752016-04-06T16:02:49.055-04:002016-04-06T16:02:49.055-04:00Mary Sutton - oh boy do I remember that. GO MOLLY ...Mary Sutton - oh boy do I remember that. GO MOLLY WEASLEY! And so satisfying for her to dispatch Bellatrix.<br /><br />"Mind the modifiers and fornicate anyway!" Makes me wonder, Ann in R - what DID you have for breakfast?!Hallie Ephronhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04759439029582054503noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1001156153899984046.post-36826365917744284202016-04-06T15:31:16.485-04:002016-04-06T15:31:16.485-04:00Fascinating and -- oh my goodness, so many more bo...Fascinating and -- oh my goodness, so many more books I MUST READ -- I tend to avoid books (and people) who use "language."Denise Annhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02790883493798517829noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1001156153899984046.post-81191773607819600472016-04-06T14:47:11.949-04:002016-04-06T14:47:11.949-04:00I'm always learning new words from you, Catrio...I'm always learning new words from you, Catriona.Lori Rader-Dayhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10261322825057374362noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1001156153899984046.post-13191861951162532702016-04-06T14:26:54.828-04:002016-04-06T14:26:54.828-04:00It has come to my attention that I wrote "a t...It has come to my attention that I wrote "a three-way tie," when what I really meant was a five-way tie. Which is really irrelevant, as I don't think this award has ever had ANY tie. ;) <br /><br />Basically, this amounts to: READ ALL THESE BOOKS.Kristopherhttp://www.bolobooks.comnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1001156153899984046.post-13768064266530696942016-04-06T14:24:48.694-04:002016-04-06T14:24:48.694-04:00Hallie, thanks for this. Lovely to be in such good...Hallie, thanks for this. Lovely to be in such good company! It's a relief to know that none of us is in danger of being nominated for the Literary Review Bad Sex Award. Good luck everyone. Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16549253083858080571noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1001156153899984046.post-80777194575143986912016-04-06T14:14:10.017-04:002016-04-06T14:14:10.017-04:00Does anybody remember (or know) the scene in the l...Does anybody remember (or know) the scene in the last Harry Potter book where Molly Weasley faces off against Bellatrix Lestrange? Molly, throughout the entire series, has never even come close to swearing. She's a fluffy, warm-hearted, slightly fussy mother. But when she faces Bellatrix, all her fear/anger/emotion of the moment is poured into that one line: "Not my daughter you b!tch." It isn't even a particularly strong cuss word. But priceless.<br /><br />And so descriptive.Liz Millironhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04919409969263609919noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1001156153899984046.post-24768856555971074452016-04-06T13:50:09.094-04:002016-04-06T13:50:09.094-04:00Love all the comments and advice today! (And I hav...Love all the comments and advice today! (And I have a lot of reading to catch up on with the MHC award nominees.)<br /><br />I have both sex and F-bombs in my books, although I try to use both judiciously. When writing sex, I try to focus on the feelings and emotions - I don't like to read Part-A-Into-Slot-B and I don't want to write it either. As for the bad language, my mother has often been an early reader of my mss, and she will circle certain curse words with the note: <i>Is this really necessary?</i> Often, it wasn't. (Thanks, mom!)<br /><br />Hallie, I had that same conversation with Lee, and was amazed to go back and realize how very little swearing there is in his books - and what there is would easily pass on an 8pm TV show. A great lesson in how carefully chosen vocabulary can be just as dark, menacing, and hard-edged as common curse words. <br /><br />Juliahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09553268569509053159noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1001156153899984046.post-38607875170555033912016-04-06T13:46:54.846-04:002016-04-06T13:46:54.846-04:00One more comment. Soldiers adopt foul language so ...One more comment. Soldiers adopt foul language so easily. It must be universal. I knew vets in college. One embarrassed himself by asking his mom to pass the <br />f***ing eggs. My son has been out of the army for about ten years now and he still resorts to some colorful language when aggravated.Pat Dnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1001156153899984046.post-38247382229612943102016-04-06T13:43:27.746-04:002016-04-06T13:43:27.746-04:00Congratulations, ladies! I'm already a fan of ...Congratulations, ladies! I'm already a fan of Catriona, Frances, and Hallie. Now I get to find out about Lori and Susanna. Cussing is acceptable if it fits the situation or the character. Sex? Depends. It is fine as an emotional connection. It is not fine if presented as a how to. That gets old fast. At least "peppery" hasn't popped up yet in a sex scene!Pat Dnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1001156153899984046.post-85945374697254494672016-04-06T13:08:53.384-04:002016-04-06T13:08:53.384-04:00What an absolute delight to see so many of my favo...What an absolute delight to see so many of my favorite authors here today and nominated for the Mary Higgins Clark Award. I've read Hallie's, Catriona's, and Lori's, and each one of those books deserves to win. I know each time I pick up a book by these three authors that it's going to be a favorite read. And, of course, I could listen to Catriona talk all day with her animated Scottish jive (hahaha, just had to use that word, Catriona). I actually love Susanna's Lucy Campion, but I am behind in the series, which I am rectifying before Bouchercon, Susanna. I already have the books sitting on my short list table. And, I now have a new (to me) author and series to read, with Frances Brody and the Kate Shackleton books. Frances, please forgive my egregious oversight here. I'll be making up for it. Good luck to all the nominees! Kathy Reelhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17004247271452356577noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1001156153899984046.post-6076511601746161532016-04-06T12:47:17.106-04:002016-04-06T12:47:17.106-04:00Yay, I got squaddie right! What was my prize, Hall...Yay, I got squaddie right! What was my prize, Hallie? I love what Susan D said about the uptight upright woman using the obscenity and surprising herself. Leslie, when I started working full time at the gas station at age 21 (with my fresh BA in linguistics) is when I started swearing liberally. I fit right in with the guys and it felt very freeing. Later as a mom and now a "woman of a certain age" - it's much easier to moderate my language and find more creative ways to express strong feeling. Thanks for the memory.Edith Maxwellhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01388006370860482509noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1001156153899984046.post-80772052951655722962016-04-06T12:23:51.141-04:002016-04-06T12:23:51.141-04:00What a wonderful set of guidelines. I've read ...What a wonderful set of guidelines. I've read 4 of the 5 nominees -- hope to read the 5th soon -- and congrats to all!!! Such wonderful books, all squirmy and real, the kind that make you take a flashlight to bed so you can read and show up to breakfast late. The best kind.<br /><br />Last year at Left Coast Crime, Bob Dugoni said he'd been deliberately cutting back the swearing in his books because he'd finally realized how many readers didn't like it, and that it wasn't necessary. I suspect for a while it felt freeing to be able to swear in print, but leaving it out gives the author another opportunity to dig a little deeper into character and emotion. Which is what we read for, yes?Leslie Budewitzhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11942314846112875042noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1001156153899984046.post-4849557476814501162016-04-06T11:54:53.062-04:002016-04-06T11:54:53.062-04:00Oh and a squaddie is an enlisted soldier in the ar...Oh and a squaddie is an enlisted soldier in the army!Catriona McPhersonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17234089279665716446noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1001156153899984046.post-64475582198378736352016-04-06T11:48:53.234-04:002016-04-06T11:48:53.234-04:00Five of my favorite authors nominated for the same...Five of my favorite authors nominated for the same award? Thank goodness I am not on that judging committee. I'd call it a three-way tie. Kristopherhttp://www.bolobooks.comnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1001156153899984046.post-10619386443716915342016-04-06T11:48:18.925-04:002016-04-06T11:48:18.925-04:00Here comes the west coast, at the cow's tail a...Here comes the west coast, at the cow's tail as ever! As the peppery sun starts hitting the hollyhocks. <br /><br />Hallie, thanks for having us come round!<br /><br />Isn't it interesting that everyone agrees about sex scenes? I've written two in my life (17 books). One about bad sex, which is easy to write well, and one about unbad sex, which was one of the hardest things I ever wrote - even though there was no anatomical detail.Catriona McPhersonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17234089279665716446noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1001156153899984046.post-71102807627640253112016-04-06T11:48:11.079-04:002016-04-06T11:48:11.079-04:00Congrats to ALL the nominees! I've been a judg...Congrats to ALL the nominees! I've been a judge on the MHC committee and I know how difficult it is to find books that fit the MHC criteria and are fabulous reads. Personally, I love the MHC criteria. I'm not offended by swearing (especially in dialog, if that's what the character would say,) and I'm not offended by graphic sex scenes although I usually skip them because more often than not they are boring and badly written. I am a HUGE fan of sexual/emotional tension, and of "the heroine who finds herself in a situation not of her own making and must resolve it WITHOUT BEING RESCUED (by a man!) <br /><br />You might guess I grew up reading Mary Stewart. And I adored Elizabeth Peters Vicky Bliss novels.Deborah Crombiehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16988750789088153601noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1001156153899984046.post-82455313622348666322016-04-06T11:23:40.013-04:002016-04-06T11:23:40.013-04:00Such an interesting post, Hallie. Love those self-...Such an interesting post, Hallie. Love those self-reliant heroines with family support.<br /><br />Oh yes, the F word where it belongs. I once had a character, a righteous, uptight woman, use the F word in calm anger, surprising herself at how satsifying it felt, since she'd never used it before in her life.Susan Dhttp://www.susandaly.comnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1001156153899984046.post-79352360426529833982016-04-06T10:47:09.740-04:002016-04-06T10:47:09.740-04:00Oh, and I've read some fun historical suspense...Oh, and I've read some fun historical suspense novels--complete with sex scenes--but the sex scenes grabbed me because of the emotional imagery and intensity--not a catalogue of writhing body parts. Ditto violence--the aftermath of a violent act and its effect on the people who must deal with it--can create a sense of horror more effectively that a description of the actual act of violence. In my humble opinion.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1001156153899984046.post-89283820259305265932016-04-06T10:43:13.105-04:002016-04-06T10:43:13.105-04:00Congratulations to all the nominees--from my point...Congratulations to all the nominees--from my point of view, y'all are already winners--careful, thoughtful, intelligent writers who don't do gratuitous scenes just to pump up a word count!Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1001156153899984046.post-72050827465468082272016-04-06T10:39:16.910-04:002016-04-06T10:39:16.910-04:00I just wrote a long and carefully thought out post...I just wrote a long and carefully thought out post on the above. And then I nuked it. So here it comes again.<br /><br />First, please leave in the sex and F words when they advance the plot. Think James Joyce.<br /><br />Far more than a little prurience, I get annoyed at the overuse of the same modifier. <br /><br />For example:<br /><br />1. The peppery odor of sun on tomato leaves in the courtyard<br />2. The peppery odor of sun on the asters<br />3. The peppery odor of sun on the petunias<br /><br />These all were from a bewk, otherwise frabjous, that I just finished. I won't leak the title nor author, but it is set in Rye the summer of 1914 and mirrors Mapp and Lucia in many ways (nod to E. F. Benson)<br /><br />I once threw an Andrew Greeley across the room for using "arguably" 47 times and all before half time. Never picked up another one.<br /><br />This, my darlings, is the opinion of a reader who has sex and drops F bombs. <br /><br />Mind the modifiers and fornicate away. <br /><br /><br /><br />Ann in Rochesternoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1001156153899984046.post-75908792875900414192016-04-06T10:21:59.065-04:002016-04-06T10:21:59.065-04:00Lori, I agree - personal relationships DO drive th...Lori, I agree - personal relationships DO drive the plot in any good crime novel. Otherwise why would the sleuth bother to investigate? And a will-they or won't-they romance adds spice and another form of suspense. Hallie Ephronhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04759439029582054503noreply@blogger.com