tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1001156153899984046.post3528027295860327123..comments2024-03-29T07:15:33.972-04:00Comments on Jungle Red Writers: What We're Writing--Hank's adventures in the pastJungle Red Writershttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16646429819267618412noreply@blogger.comBlogger49125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1001156153899984046.post-57205340799480682472016-04-01T09:41:05.157-04:002016-04-01T09:41:05.157-04:00Ooo,ooo, Hank! Learned last night that the Pennsyl...Ooo,ooo, Hank! Learned last night that the Pennsylvania State Police still carry beepers. Yep, right now in 2016. So the answer do "does anybody even use those any more" is yes! LOL<br /><br />And good news/bad news. Good news, Mystery Lovers had copies of Prime Time. Bad news, they're out. Good news, it's because they sold them all and will be getting more.<br /><br />I was too slow off the mark it seems. =)Liz Millironhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04919409969263609919noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1001156153899984046.post-33774072539020181942016-03-30T17:10:15.497-04:002016-03-30T17:10:15.497-04:00All good vibes and wishes sent your way, Kathy!
Y...All good vibes and wishes sent your way, Kathy!<br /><br />Yep, I can commiserate with having to update stories. In my first (yet-to-be pubbed) mystery set in the Virgin Islands, they changed the name of the airport on St. Thomas, among other things! So, after trying to make changes, it's now gathering dust in a closet, because I just went on to other things, and couldn't deal with it all. But I think maybe I should one day just leave it as originally written, and it'll just be set in the 1980's!<br /><br />And...I still have a flip phone, way overdue for a new one, but I'm used to this one. If it ain't broke....lol. Lynn in Texashttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16624333137637840905noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1001156153899984046.post-61714361297962145412016-03-30T10:58:41.259-04:002016-03-30T10:58:41.259-04:00I'm psyched you got to update your Charlie boo...I'm psyched you got to update your Charlie books. I'd especially wondered about a certain piece of mass market photography equipment Charlie kept in her car (hoping I avoided the spoiler yet you still know what I mean.)<br /><br />Believe it or not, NCIS-LA used a hotel pay phone for a plot point in this week's episode. I haven't seen a hotel pay phone in ages. The hotel in the story was swanky enough to hold an international conference. <br /><br />This season Diddy was an adviser for Pharrell on "The Voice," so he's practically "Middle America" now. :)<br /><br />Happy to see the return of Charlie. Loved her cameo in WHAT YOU SEE. <br /><br />Rhonda Lanehttp://rhondalane.comnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1001156153899984046.post-55411224143144983942016-03-29T22:52:57.461-04:002016-03-29T22:52:57.461-04:00I just upgraded TO a flip phone because Consumer C...I just upgraded TO a flip phone because Consumer Cellular asked me to . . . but I don't use my cell that often. It does seem too bad that there are no pay phones for emergencies, but I suppose the upkeep and misuse and vandalism made them unprofitable. The Post Office has cut back on mailboxes, too. <br /><br />Those editing changes are interesting and will freshen the books for new times, new readers. You do work hard. <br />I've never actually heard a computer say "You have mail," except on Sesame Street.<br /> <br />Your editor, like my allergist, is almost annoyingly correct, but that's how they earn their keep. Now back to working on taxes.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1001156153899984046.post-32243616634304429402016-03-29T22:46:37.228-04:002016-03-29T22:46:37.228-04:00You have a whole cheering section here Kathy!
XxxYou have a whole cheering section here Kathy!<br />XxxHank Phillippi Ryanhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17420701704169428286noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1001156153899984046.post-23366245306791456202016-03-29T22:13:26.604-04:002016-03-29T22:13:26.604-04:00Kathy,
I'm glad you can have the surgery righ...Kathy,<br /><br />I'm glad you can have the surgery right away, and just get it over with. Praying for your speedy recovery. You'll have a good excuse to do nothing but read!<br /><br />Deb RomanoDeb Romanohttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01650858888197217258noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1001156153899984046.post-68848588004537677902016-03-29T22:06:40.938-04:002016-03-29T22:06:40.938-04:00Kathy, I'll be thinking of you, too. Please le...Kathy, I'll be thinking of you, too. Please let us know how you are doing. Love you!Maureen Harringtonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03499876353651763590noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1001156153899984046.post-89895786216407240792016-03-29T21:04:06.207-04:002016-03-29T21:04:06.207-04:00Kathy, sending you good wishes and praying for a s...Kathy, sending you good wishes and praying for a swift recovery . . . . Joan Emersonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06810313925049108163noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1001156153899984046.post-60837188972417331412016-03-29T19:22:26.082-04:002016-03-29T19:22:26.082-04:00Kathy! I am so worried about you--that Is AWFUL!! ...Kathy! I am so worried about you--that Is AWFUL!! So let us all know instantly about the surgery…we are sending you much love and healing thoughts! <br /><br />love you...Hank Phillippi Ryanhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17420701704169428286noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1001156153899984046.post-52924844422211146192016-03-29T18:10:35.782-04:002016-03-29T18:10:35.782-04:00Hank, I don't think the dated references would...Hank, I don't think the dated references would affect my enjoyment of the books, but I think many more people will like the updates. I do have Prime Time and will be reading it soon. I've been tying to catch up a bit on 2015 titles that are eligible for an Anthony. So looking forward to reading all of this series. Coming off of a bad gallbladder attack yesterday and last night. Will have surgery Thursday, so I'm hoping to get in some reading time.Kathy Reelhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17004247271452356577noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1001156153899984046.post-39111171770352642812016-03-29T17:49:09.031-04:002016-03-29T17:49:09.031-04:00Hank! I guess I missed that scene on Madame Secret...Hank! I guess I missed that scene on Madame Secretary. Really? "Who's Grace Kelly?" I remember when Grace Kelly left acting to marry and become Princess Grace, a Sister of Notre Dame spent an entire class talking about how wonderful and devout—of course—Grace Kelly was.Maureen Harringtonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03499876353651763590noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1001156153899984046.post-85848549308283636772016-03-29T16:55:53.488-04:002016-03-29T16:55:53.488-04:00OH, phone updates. AHHHHHHH. I am so sorry, L/R. C...OH, phone updates. AHHHHHHH. I am so sorry, L/R. COmputer updates, too..<br /><br />Once when I had to call Geek Squad, I decided to give up on trying to act cool, and just ASK. SO I said to the guy--when the computer wants me to take an update, should I take it?<br /><br />And He said--and I am NOT KIDDING--"It depends whether you want to."<br /><br /><br />AHHHH.<br /><br />And yes, my question exactly. Maybe we just had a good idea for making a million dollars. Install pay phones!<br />Hank Phillippi Ryanhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17420701704169428286noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1001156153899984046.post-42962972327341355552016-03-29T15:58:20.708-04:002016-03-29T15:58:20.708-04:00I did just put a pay phone hanging on the wall of ...I did just put a pay phone hanging on the wall of a rest stop in New Jersey. I wonder if that's long gone too? I mean, what is a person who doesn't have a phone or lost their phone supposed to do?<br /><br />When they really, really, really need to talk to someone...<br /><br />And apropos of annoying attributes of fancy phones, I just accepted an update for my iphone and now every time I touch a link, the screen freezes. Wouldn't happen with a flip!Lucy Burdette aka Roberta Isleibhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04660402177299546055noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1001156153899984046.post-9340374701380828912016-03-29T14:37:01.888-04:002016-03-29T14:37:01.888-04:00Aw, thank you! xoxoo And it's WHEN, not it...Aw, thank you! xoxoo And it's WHEN, not it.<br /><br /><br />And remember it's fiction--did you read the fabulous TRUST YOUR EYES by Linwood Barclay? He made up a google-earthish site. And that worked….Hank Phillippi Ryanhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17420701704169428286noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1001156153899984046.post-85593079619795440332016-03-29T14:12:10.401-04:002016-03-29T14:12:10.401-04:00Hank, you inspired me. I just rewrote a scene and ...Hank, you inspired me. I just rewrote a scene and had to have a character doing research on what would be LinkedIn. Except...will LinkedIn even exist if/when this book gets published?<br /><br />I changed it to a more generic "professional social media site." So you continue to educate!Liz Millironhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04919409969263609919noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1001156153899984046.post-22533570544394019792016-03-29T14:10:19.532-04:002016-03-29T14:10:19.532-04:00Thank you, dear Kaye! Yup.
And I've got to t...Thank you, dear Kaye! Yup. <br /><br />And I've got to tell you it made me wonder: what I would do if I were stuck in an airport with no cell phone and had to call someone? It's pretty interesting..and I agree, Karen, it is a public safety problem. Hank Phillippi Ryanhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17420701704169428286noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1001156153899984046.post-38627166707466131782016-03-29T14:07:58.819-04:002016-03-29T14:07:58.819-04:00Exactly! And so delighted to hear Julia and Debs ...Exactly! And so delighted to hear Julia and Debs in the struggle--well, not delighted to hear them struggle :-) but maybe..strive for the balance. Because sure, historical details are treats..but not in a contemporary book. And I really value the test of "what, what year is this?" If I had Charlie get up to change the channel on the TV, --you'd think--huh? When is this?-- And you'd have to stop reading and think. Which I don't want you to do. In a solidly historical novel, set in a specific time, then sure, got to have ration books and Model Ts. But "contemporary" is a minefield of fleeting cultural references.<br /><br />Looking through a reader's eyes, though, Julia, I'd embrace the "gateway" etc--it is, as Karen says, an indication of the time. SO Karen, I do see your point! But when I read through the Charlie books, hoping for new readers, the references felt old. It took a lot of thought, and a lot of decision-making! Fascinating, and educational.<br /><br />And yes, as someone asked, it's taught me to be even more careful than I already thought I was being! Hank Phillippi Ryanhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17420701704169428286noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1001156153899984046.post-24422546259932122662016-03-29T13:34:34.927-04:002016-03-29T13:34:34.927-04:00You know, I was so excited to learn Charlie is bac...You know, I was so excited to learn Charlie is back that it truly never dawned on me that there might be changes. The Charlie books seem so "now" it seems odd. Wow. Things change and change quickly, don't they?! Anyway. I love Charlie and have from Day One. I'm excited that she'll be reaching out to new readers and collecting a whole new group of fans. Yay, Charlie! (AND Hank!)Kaye Wilkinson Barley - Meanderings and Museshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07486129009717476920noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1001156153899984046.post-19789485922187752652016-03-29T13:33:41.554-04:002016-03-29T13:33:41.554-04:00I kind of like references to other times. What wou...I kind of like references to other times. What would classic literature be without it? If you're writing a book for longevity, which one presumes one is at the time, it becomes a sort of snapshot into the times, culturally. Don't we learn more about daily life from novels and diaries than from history books?<br /><br />So I'd like to make the case for keeping the anachronisms intact. It adds a richness to the reading experience, in my opinion.Karen in Ohiohttps://www.blogger.com/profile/18002794561817071780noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1001156153899984046.post-42092726525460063882016-03-29T13:19:45.009-04:002016-03-29T13:19:45.009-04:00Oh, Hank, I'm struggling with some of these is...Oh, Hank, I'm struggling with some of these issues as I write right now! Because most of the Clare/Russ books take place chronologically one shortly after another, and because I've fallen <i>ahem</i> a little behind in my production schedule, I've gotten to the point where it's 2016 in the real world and 2006 in Millers Kill. <br /><br />So I have to be very careful about how I mention the war in Iraq (although I heard on NPR that the president is sending <i>more</i> troops back in, sigh), social media, gay marriage - even the Presiding Bishop of the Episcopal Church has changed from a white woman to a black man! There's one part in IN THE BLEAK MIDWINTER where a character has the "latest Toshiba micro-cell phone" and "special ordered a Gateway from the Internet" along with a "cable to connect to her modem." Talk about dated. That learned me, and I've tried to be a lot more generic since then.<br /><br />I agree with Hank when she says her Charlotte books aren't set in a particular time, just the now of today. I think that's a goal many of us writing contemporary fiction strive for: to create that seamless reading experience that allows the reader to hum along without any "Wait - what year is this?" moments.Juliahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09553268569509053159noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1001156153899984046.post-30357677381230588932016-03-29T13:17:38.240-04:002016-03-29T13:17:38.240-04:00Love this, Hank. And love the "sort of...now&...Love this, Hank. And love the "sort of...now" for the time period. That's what I've always aimed for, and now the technology is so outdated in my early books. But you can't write a contemporary story without contemporary things, and you can't guess what's going to be "the thing" in ten or twenty years--unless you're psychic.... So I try to be pretty generic about phones and social media, etc. I did date one particular book around an event (the Millennium! Remember that??) and I do really regret it. That would be my do-over...Deborah Crombiehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16988750789088153601noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1001156153899984046.post-12270650270395726072016-03-29T13:13:25.347-04:002016-03-29T13:13:25.347-04:00Outdated references don't bother me at all. Ca...Outdated references don't bother me at all. Can you imagine if libraries discarded all novels, mystery or not, because of outdated references? My feeling is that if I want to read books written at a particular time I will understand that some things may have changed.<br /><br />By the way, I LOVED seeing Charlie in What You See. I've missed her!<br /><br />Deb RomanoDeb Romanonoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1001156153899984046.post-27438590376155567242016-03-29T12:43:20.391-04:002016-03-29T12:43:20.391-04:00And yes, Reine, eliminating the distractions. Perf...And yes, Reine, eliminating the distractions. Perfect way to put it.Hank Phillippi Ryanhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17420701704169428286noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1001156153899984046.post-53740651320680582872016-03-29T12:42:48.907-04:002016-03-29T12:42:48.907-04:00Oh, and yesterday morning, I was at Channel 7 wher...Oh, and yesterday morning, I was at Channel 7 where we have a new intern. She asked about the Charlie books--and I said--you know who Murphy Brown is? Charlie's kind of like her, but without the rehab.<br /><br />The intern had NO IDEA.Hank Phillippi Ryanhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17420701704169428286noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1001156153899984046.post-73231061454330734662016-03-29T12:41:10.158-04:002016-03-29T12:41:10.158-04:00Thank, Kim!
Yes, Jayna, the science fiction world...Thank, Kim!<br /><br />Yes, Jayna, the science fiction world is entirely different--there the key is explaining it, right?<br /><br />And yes, do you watch Madame Secretary, Reine? Their teenage daughter asked--"Who's Grace Kelly?"<br />And the parents winced.<br />Then the daughter said--"I'm just messing with you."<br />The parents relaxed.<br />Then the daughter said: "She invented the Kelly bag."Hank Phillippi Ryanhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17420701704169428286noreply@blogger.com