It's Boxing Day!

 RHYS BOWEN: Wishing you a happy day after Christmas. Did Santa bring you what you wanted?

IN England and Commonwealth countries it’s Boxing Day. This has nothing to do with the sport. It was the day when employees got their Christmas boxes. Specifically servants in big houses who had to work all of Christmas Day for the family and were allowed home to their own families the day after. They were given a box of food, clothing and maybe a money gratuity to take with them.

When I was growing up in England the tradesmen would call at the house to wish us the “compliments of the season.” And they’d get a tip. The garbage man, mail man, window cleaner, newsboy etc.

Who had a good Jolabokaflod? I've wanted to try that but with this many people around it's not possible. Sounds ideal, doesn't it?

So did you have a good day yesterday? We had a full house with fifteen family members, a big brunch with mimosas and bloody marys, tea with mince pies and then turkey and ham and all the trimmings. So today we can barely move.  We’ll have another big brunch and then a turkey curry. And play a lot of silly games and laugh a lot. Bliss!

But I wanted to share a couple of unique things about our Christmas:

Traditional food, apart from turkey etc, is small mince pies and sausage rolls. These are from my childhood. When I was growing up the other treats at Christmas were tangerines (that only appeared at Christmas time, dates and turkish delight.

Who else has a kangaroo on their tree? (Outside of Australia, I mean?)  

You may not know that I met and married John when I lived in Australia. My brother came down to join me and my parents retired to Australia, so for years my whole family lived there. Now my brother still lives in Tasmania and every Christmas I get Aussie ornaments for the tree. So I have an emu, and echidna, koalas etc etc leaping all over my tree. Such fun.

I also have two large bears by my fireplace. They came from the house of a dear friend who passed away.  When her house was put up for sale I managed to buy two of her bears. They are  called Nigel and Stanley. Nigel is the superior one who is singing carols.

He is quite critical of Stanley who is simple and loveable and taking toys to poor children.

Apart from those my tree is decorated with stars, hearts, angels. I love it.

And I'm sending blessings from our house to yours! Love, Rhys.

The Inciting Incident

HANK PHILLIPPI RYAN: We always talk about how a good story begins: with one huge out-of-whack inciting incident that pulls the rug out from under the main character and forces them to do something to regain equilibrium.

Dervla McTiernan has lived that.

When she was shopping her first book, she was diagnosed with a brain tumor. A serious, deadly, horrible brain tumor.

Let’s have her tell it:

DERVLA MCTIERNAN: “I got the news from my GP very early on a Friday morning, and a few minutes later, when I was still sitting in my car in the car-park, I got an email from a literary agent saying that she’d read my first fifty pages, and loved them, and asking me to send her the rest of the book. 

It was the most surreal moment. I felt like I was on an episode of the Truman Show, except I was the subject and the director had decided that the story was far too boring so threw in a tumor and an agent and surgery and all sorts of drama. 

It was a very scary time, because my children were only six and four, and the GP made it clear that without surgery the tumor would ultimately be fatal. And then the first surgeon we saw said that the tumor was inoperable. 

But then we were lucky enough to find another wonderful surgeon, and he was confident that he could do the surgery. In the end I had three weeks from diagnosis to surgery, and I spent that time distracting myself by sending my book out to agents. 

The surgery went well. I spent 11 days in hospital, and a few months at home recovering before I was well enough to go back to work. 

I think it was about six weeks after the surgery when I got my first offer of representation, and things just took off from there.”

HANK:  Took off? Now, Reds and readers, read her bio:

International #1 bestseller Dervla McTiernan’s first two novels, The Rúin and The Scholar, were critically acclaimed around the world. Dervla has won multiple prizes, including a Ned Kelly Award, Davitt Awards, a Barry Award and an International Thriller Writers Award, and has been shortlisted for numerous others. Dervla’s third book, The Good Turn, went straight to #1 in the bestseller charts, confirming her place as one of Australia’s best and most popular crime writers.

WOW.

Now, her newest thriller, THE MURDER RULE, comes out next Tuesday! And if you are hearing about it here first, I can assure you that you will be hearing about it a lot more.

And here’s maybe the coolest part. Dervla is on the road for this book now, and instead of worrying about her very existence, she gets to worry about much more lovely and quotidian stuff. See below!

And ooh: she’s giving away a copy of THE MURDER RULE to THREE lucky commenters!

DERVLA MCTIERNAN: Hello, everyone! Thank you for letting me trespass on your space. I’m feeling very privileged to be hanging out (even virtually!) with such fantastic writers. By way of introduction, I’m Irish, but living in Western Australia, and I’m a full-time writer (and recovering lawyer). I live with my husband (also Irish – we met in a Tae Kwon Do class in college when we were seventeen, which let me tell you came pretty close to killing any nascent romance!) and our twelve-year-old daughter and ten-year-old son (both of whom have Australian accents and both of whom like to correct mine on an almost daily basis).

I’ve been writing full-time for a few years now, and my first stand-alone novel (The Murder Rule) comes out on May 10th in the US. I get to do my first US tour, which is a very big, very exciting deal for me, though it presents one tricky little problem. What to wear??

You would think that this would be a very easy problem to solve. Most of the book events I’ve been to have been very casual affairs, where anything goes and creative self-expression is appreciated. But the reality is that, these days, everything ends up on social media, and I don’t know about you guys, but I do feel a bit of pressure to get things right. I’m just not entirely sure what right is!

I’ve been telling myself that getting it right means accepting my forty-five year old body, which has carried me through a few major medical challenges over the years, and has the battle scars to prove it. And reminding myself that it is always about the stories, first and last. I have most of my packing done now, and though I’m still not quite sure how I’ll get through three weeks without access to my washing machine, the worry about getting things right is beginning to fade and the excitement of it all is beginning to take over.

My timing for this tour is pretty good, I have to say. Last year we bought a little 1940’s house, closer to our kids’ schools. We renovated it and moved in before Christmas. We absolutely love it, but it is truly teeny, and the kids are sharing a room, which is going to be a problem when they get a little older. So we’re building an extension (with a special writing room for me!) and it looks like works are going to kick off before I get back. I think the noisiest, messiest stuff might be done while I’m away, so my poor husband will be dealing with it all (and juggling two kids and two dogs at the same time) so I’m giving myself a big pat on the back for some truly excellent planning.

I’m so looking forward to getting out on the road and talking about this book. The Murder Rule tells the story of a young, idealistic law student named Hannah Rokeby. Hannah joins the Innocence Project on the eve of their biggest case – they’re trying to save an innocent man from death row. On the surface Hannah appears to be bright eyed and keen, eager to please and to be accepted by the team. But the real Hannah is quite different. She’s darker and more complicated, and she has her own agenda.

Every tour is different, of course, and the conversations you have at events vary depending on the topic of the book. I feel like The Murder Rule is giving me a lot of places to go, lots of topics and themes worth exploring. In researching for the book, I learned so much about how unjust convictions happen, about the junk science, the shoddy witness testimony, the forced confessions. I thought I knew much of it going in, but I learned a lot that surprised me. Some wrongful convictions come about due to corruption and dishonesty, of course, but a surprising number are due to what you might be consider to be ordinary human frailty. Self-delusion or self-importance. A refusal to admit that you might have gotten it wrong.

My first event was here in Perth on May 2nd, an “In Conversation” hosted by my best writing buddy, Sara Foster. I can’t think of a nicer way to kick things off. After my Perth events, I head to Sydney, and from there to Los Angeles. I’ll be in LA (with Rachel Howzell Hall), New York City (with Don Winslow), Phoenix (with TJ Newman) and Atlanta (with Karin Slaughter). If you happen to live close by I’d love to see you at an event!

HANK: And she will be in The Back Room (shhh, it’s not announced yet) on July 10, and on CRIME TIME on A Mighty Blaze on August 9! You can tell how much I love this book.) And ooh, yes, a thriller about a maybe-sinister lawyer? Yes, indeed.

So let's have a fun day on Jungle Red–to be entered to win a copy of THE MURDER RULE: you have a choice. What’s your favorite lawyer-book? What do you think about Dervla’s topic?

OR: how have your clothing choices changed in the pandemic?

(And I think it may already be tomorrow in Australia, which is always so reassuring to me.)

Rhys is Not Writing

RHYS BOWEN:  I have had to take a break from serious writing this week, dear readers, for a very good reason--or rather two very good reasons. Over the weekend I was at Malice Domestic convention, where I was guest of honor. (along with fellow Jungle Red Julia, who was GOH for the year before. (Both of us a year late as the pandemic put the convention on hiatus for 2 years. And now we willingly shared the spotlight!)

 I hope Julia had as fabulous a time as I did. It was utterly amazing, surreal. My GOH interview was with my dear friend Louise Penny. We had a packed house and at the end I got the longest standing ovation, during which I had to fight back tears. 

Then I had to give a speech at the banquet . In spite of the food being well.. you know, banquet food at its worst, including a steak I simply couldn't cut and instead Louise fed me half her ravioli, it was such a wonderful event. It's always moving and inspiring to see first time Agatha winners overcome with emotion.

I also would have been presented with my Agatha tea pot for last year's win but alas due to pandemic supply chain issues there were no teapots to be had, nor was there my guest-of-honor tea cup.  They will arrive in due time, I'm sure.  The organizers did their best against all odds. Well done.

The convention ended with the Agathas tea party--my favorite as I love tea parties.  And the best thing about the weekend, apart from seeing old and dear friends, was that my daughter and new co-writer Clare was with me to experience it all and be introduced to the mystery community. She commented that she has found her tribe and will be attending every convention from now on!

Then on Monday it was on to the next amazing event: train from DC to New York where I am staying until the Edgars banquet on Thursday (where I am nominated for best novel!!!!!  Amazing)

I'll update you if I win. Not holding my breath.

And next week I have to get back to serious revisions on my new work in progress, called ISLAND OF LOST BOYS. It takes place in Paris in the thirties, London and France in WWII and then Australia after the war. And its more harrowing and dark than anything I have written. But I hope it's good stuff.

What Scares You? Reds Confess.

RHYS BOWEN:

Well, I've managed to survive another Halloween! I have survived weeks of all the old movies on TV being horror, of everyone else saying what fun they have had in haunted houses and even walking through a drug store and having a coffin suddenly open beside me and a hand coming out! Confession: I'm a wimp. I do not like to be scared. The only horror movies I've ever tolerated were the "Giant killer tomatoes swallow New York" variety. Anything to do with noises in the cellar or possessed dolls and I'm out of there. If I saw something like that I'd wake at every creak of my house for weeks.

So I guess I'm a scaredy cat. I was even trying to come up with a Halloween costume that didn't require a lot of work and thought of draping a fake spider's web over my hair with a fuzzy spider clinging to it. Tried it in the store and couldn't do. I knew the spider was fake. I could hold it in my hand and see it was fake. But the thought of a big black spider on my head was simply too much for me.

Another confession: I'm scared of spiders. I know they are good for our environment. If I find one in the bathtub I put a glass over it, slide a piece of paper under the spider and carry it out to be released in nature. So you see I'm good and humane. But my hand is shaking all the time. I did this rescue once when my friends and I rented a house in Sedona, AZ. Big spider on the ceiling. I tipped him into a glass, carried him out and released him into the creek. Then a friend showed his picture to our jeep tour guide. "Oh my God. That was a brown recluse," he exclaimed. I had had one piece of paper between me and the most venomous spider in the US!  And I was once in the Outback in Australia and went to the loo. As I shut the door and sat on the seat I watched a HUGE huntsman spider come and sit on top of the door. You know, the kind of spider that kills mice? And I knew if I tried to open that door it would drop onto my hand. I contemplated spending the rest of my life in that loo. Waiting for the spider to die of old age or get hungry and go hunting elsewhere. In the end I moved my hand oh so cautiously toward the latch, lifted it, moved the door inch by inch and then ran like hell, all the time imagining that the spider was now sitting on my back!

So good reason to be scared of spiders. But I'm also scared of moths. I don't like the way they flutter about. I met a black moth with a twelve inch wing span in Mexico once. We had seen it flying around the gardens and then the kids announced it had flown into our condo and into my bedroom. I laughed. "Nice try." Then I pulled back the drapes and....... it flew into my face. So good reason to be scared of moths too.

And I'm scared of the dark. Too vivid an imagination, I suppose, and growing up in a big old house that was definitely haunted. But I'm not scared of snakes, or heights, or even clowns. Bad reviews? Maybe. People hating my next book? Definitely.

So now it's your turn, Reds. What are you scared of?

HALLIE EPHRON: The dark. Seriously. Going into a cave with no flashlight, or even with one freaks me out. Walking in a forest in the dark. No thank you.

Spiders? Not so much. We have so many, and the ones in the house are usually smaller than a nickel and as far as I know they're not poisonous. I just scoop them up and take them outside where they can feast on mosquitos and flies. Love their webs. Except when I walk into one in the morning. Ick.

HANK PHILLIPPI RYAN: Huh.. That is such a good question. Crazy drivers, driving at night on highways.. I can imagine all kinds of horribleness. I can kind of handle spiders, though I really hate walking through a spider web.  I am not fond of centipede and millipedes,  either of which send me screaming from the room. Oh, and those waterbug things.  Dark streets, sure. But that's..just common sense.

The thing I am most afraid of is being surprised. If someone leaps out at me, I freak.

And I always think the garbage disposal is going to grab my hand somehow.

I am also inordinately afraid of food poisoning. If food is slightly off, or even might be, I toss it. Does that count?

DEBORAH CROMBIE: I'm with you on the horror movies, Rhys. I've never understood why people like them. Can you believe I've never even seen Psycho??? Not afraid of spiders, or snakes (except sensibly.) Or bats. I don't get clowns, either, but I'm not afraid of them. I am, however, more than a bit claustrophobic. I don't like being packed in with bunch of people, and I don't like being underground. So you can see why I take the bus whenever possible in London. Rush hour on a packed tube train in a deep tunnel is not my idea of fun! And I always think, "What if the train stops and we're stuck here????" Which happens often enough that it's not pure paranoia...

LUCY BURDETTE: No, no I don't like to be scared either! When talking about movies they enjoyed, my family will often add "but not for you, too violent, or scary, or pick your adjective..." Rhys, when we were preparing for our trip to Australia, I started reading Bill Bryson's IN A SUNBURNED COUNTRY. I had to stop partway through because of all the poisonous creatures he was describing. Did you read BLIND DESCENT by Nevada Barr? Her character had to go into deep, narrow caves, and so Barr did this to prepare for writing. Not for me--I'd have to switch to a different plot.

Debs, I don't like being in a crowded elevator either--I think being short is a disadvantage here because all you can see are the bodies pressed in around you. And I don't like highway driving either--too many crazies going way too fast and not leaving nearly enough room.

RHYS: Oh yes, Lucy. I agree about Australia. When I took my kids there for the first time my daughter Anne read out loud on the plane about every kind of lethal creature so that her siblings were freaked out when we went for a walk in the Bush. And I'm not really claustrophobic but like Hallie can't watch movies where divers have to squeeze through submerged caves.

But I don't have a fear of the garbage disposal. Pfew. However I now realize I am scared of the shower. I always worry about turning off the cold first and getting scalded or turning off the hot and getting frozen. What a bunch of neurotics we are. OR ON THE OTHER HAND, we are simply gifted with overactive imaginations, which is what we are such stellar writers!

So now it's your turn. What are you scared of?

Steve Vincent: Writing US politics from Australia

HALLIE EPHRON: Steve P. Vincent lives in Australia but his series featuring Jack Emery are political thrillers set in the US. In his photo, Steve comes across as a stealthy guy whom you wouldn't want to cross paths with in a dark alley. But his bio makes him sound more like a bloke with whom it would be fun to share a pint:

Steve P. Vincent lives with his wife in a pokey apartment in Melbourne’s north-west, where he’s forced to write on the couch in front of an obnoxiously large television. When he’s not writing, Steve keeps food and flat whites on the table working for the man. He enjoys beer, whisky, sports and dreaming up ever more elaborate conspiracy theories to write about. He has a Bachelor of Arts (Hons) in Political Science and History. His honours thesis was on the topic of global terrorism.

Welcome to Jungle Red, Steve, and please, explain yourself! 

STEVE P. VINCENTS: “You do what? Why?!”

Those are usually the questions I get asked right after people realize I’m Australian and that I write about US politics. My Jack Emery series of novels – The Foundation, State of Emergency and the new release Nations Divided – feature an Australian protagonist helping to fight against political conspiracies in the United States and around the world.

The series has been praised for its accurate depiction of the US political system, something I studied at university and put a lot of work into making sure I represent as close to perfect as possible. Yet I still get asked the question.

So here’s a few reasons why I choose to set my novels in the US political system rather than the Australian one.

US domestic politics is far more interesting!

In Australia, most people are pretty apathetic about politics, because both major parties are pretty similar and because voting is compulsory. In fact, we even get a fine in the mail if we don’t vote. Despite this, the country is usually well run and most people are pretty well off.

In the US, there’s political dynasties and your leaders are more interesting than the old white guys we get. There’s also far a greater divide between the major parties, and within the major parties. Then there’s other things that seem crazy to us – like filibusters and debt ceilings and the turkey pardon.

Internationally, the US can actually achieve something!

The United States has the economic, military and diplomatic punch to get stuff done internationally when it chooses to. Australia… not so much. This is great for a fiction writer, because it lets me craft all sorts of interesting, giant conspiracies that have global ramifications.

What’s more interesting: a novel about the US and China being on the brink of nuclear war because of a terrorist attack in Shanghai, or a novel about Australia and New Zealand having a tense political standoff because of the ban on apple imports? Exactly.

I like to eat!
A wise man once said: write books about Australian politics and you’ll know what it is to starve. Well, not really, but it feels like someone might have. In addition to having more options for plot and characters, lots of authors set their books in America because it’s a bigger market. Ah, capitalism!

I like to impress people at parties!
Though being an author doesn’t get you the number of free drinks that being a rock star does, there’s still a chance that somebody might buy me a beer. I think my chances are greater if I can impress them with my deep knowledge of the electoral college system, rather than the Westminster system.

Donald Trump…!
Though we do have our own version of The Donald – a larger than life mining billionaire named Clive Palmer. He currently sits in Parliament, owns a dinosaur theme park and is rebuilding the Titanic. Despite this, his contribution to public policy has been fairly minor. Let’s see if you guys do...

HALLIE: We rarely talk politics here on Jungle Red, but an American future with Donald Trump at the helm would be a horror story, not a thriller. Speaking for me personally that is.

As this blog goes live, it's the dead of night in Melbourne, so we may have to wait for Steve to speak up. But that shouldn't stop you from asking questions. Do US politics seem more of hotbed for a thriller than Australia... perhaps too much so?

Steve P. Vincent is the author of the Jack Emery series of political thrillers – The Foundation, State of Emergency and Nations Divided. Connect with him on the web, Facebook, Twitter or Goodreads.

Road Signs

LUCY BURDETTE: I can't resist one last travel blog--I swear I won't become one of those boorish relations who shows interminable slides! But the road signs in Australia are so interesting--and graphic...

Drive on left in Australia.

never too old to try it! Even with hubby giving helpful tips

Kangaroo crossing. 

 

We might have seen an endangered bandicoot, but he was too fast to capture on film. 



We did however see an endangered tiger quoll

 








 and then drank his beer to support his future


 








Wood hens on road. Mutton birds on road. 

 

Endangered woodhen

We did see them both  but the mutton birds fly in at night to land on the beach and find their nests. We watched in awe!


 

They really mean it this time: Unstable cliffs you may fall and die

twelve apostles, great ocean road

Dangers everywhere.

Sometimes it's better just to focus on the cute animals...

Nothing is quite ever what it seems--this one I just liked--true for life in general...

Happy Sunday dearest Red Writers!

I Left My Heart in...

RHYS BOWEN: Like my Jungle Red sisters I moved away from home to go to college and never really went back. All the time I was growing up I had a fascination with Australia. Maybe it had something to do with the fact that one of my best friends at school had recently moved from Australia and seemed very exotic to me. Also my uncle Uncle lived there and he would send me a book every Christmas called "Wonderful Australia in Pictures" or a similar title. I'd pour over the color photographs of sunkissed beaches, red rocks, strange animals and dream of going there someday. After college I was working with the BBC in London and I got a chance to meet the head of Australian Broadcasting. I told him of my interest in Australia and he offered me a job, So I packed up and headed halfway across the world to Sydney.
I was entranced by the clear bright light, the strange birds and animals, the blue water of the harbor. It was truly like living in a Disney movie. Also the people were friendly and didn't take life to seriously. How can you not love a country where every business closes to watch the running of the Melbourne Cup horse race?

But I never had a chance to settle in properly because I met a man. An Englishman working for Qantas. And I married him, dear reader.  But he was on his way to California, so I found myself living in San Francisco instead. I've not regretted coming to the States, but each time I've returned to Australia (to visit my parents who moved there, and later my brother who still lives there) I've wondered whether my destiny was supposed to be there and I blew it.


I started writing this theme because I'm fascinated that there are some places in this world where we feel instantly as if we belong. I've never had much affinity for London. I lived there. I know my way around very well, but it doesn't call to me with a siren song. But Paris--that's another matter. The moment I arrive in Paris I feel as if I should never leave again. I could sit for hours at a sidewalk cafe, soaking up the atmosphere. Or stroll along the Seine, browsing at the bouquinistes stalls. Or the Impressionists at the Musee d"Orsay. I feel alive every minute I'm there. I could easily live in one of those top floor apartments with the balcony. Paris is much in my thoughts recently because I set my upcoming Molly Murphy book, CITY OF DARKNESS AND LIGHT, there and had a great excuse to wander all over the city, finding the perfect places for my plot to play out.

So what makes some places feel like home to us while we are untouched by others. Did I live in Paris in a previous life? And what drew me to Australia? Do you think there is really a "right' place for us to live, a destiny, if you will?

HANK PHILLIPPI RYAN: When I was a--oh, I don't know, teenager, in Indianapolis,in the 1960's I always wanted to live in Boston. ALWAYS. I'd never been there, and I'm not even sure where this idea came from.  When I moved to Washington DC in the early 70's I adored it. Atlanta for five years--fine, gorgeous. Then at one point, I got job offers in Dallas, San Francisco, Washington DC and Boston. I visited all four places--and whoa. I'd been right since 1963. I enjoy Boston every day.

But when I go to Paris? Yes, indeed. I could live there in a heartbeart.

HALLIE EPHRON: I grew up in southern California, Beverly Hills to be precise, and I confess whenever I go back there I feel old, fat, ad poor. Spent my college years and after in New York City. And yes, I feel completely at home when I'm there. I wouldn't want to live there, but I do so love to visit. Boston still feels like a place I'm visiting.

RHYS: This is funny, Hallie, because I still feel that I'm visiting in San Francisco or in Arizona. It's like a permanent vacation in the latter and the nagging worry about when do we go home?

LUCY BURDETTE: I would take a couple of months in Paris, New York, or Rome--anytime! I've lived a fair number of places--Michigan, New Jersey, Connecticut, Tennessee, Florida--and managed to feel like all of them were home eventually. But I have what my husband calls a deep "taproot." Meaning it's not that easy to transplant me. In a new place, I wilt for a while, feeling listless and down. Just like a plant. (Confession: I spent 5 months in France during my junior year and I did not take advantage of the possibilities...)

I had this conversation with a sister-in-law recently and mentioned how I get homesick when I travel very long. "Homesick for what?" she asked. "I don't get that at all."

DEBORAH CROMBIE: Rhys, I feel about London the way you feel about Paris. Instantly at home, instantly "right." I've never had an explanation. Past lives is as good as any.  Paris would be my next choice. I can see myself living there.  And an odd third choice, considering the first two--I love LA. I don't know why. I know it's smoggy and the traffic is terrible and it's dreadfully expensive, but my heart just lifts every time I go there. Weird.

So why have I never left Texas permanently? I love Lucy's husband's description of a "tap root." I think Texas is my tap root. Even in London, I start to miss Texas if I am away too long.

RHYS: Past lives or just our personalities? Do you have a place you feel drawn to or destined to live? How important is a sense of place to you? Obviously very important to us, as you see from our writing.

The Road Not Taken

RHYS BOWEN: After the emotional roller coaster of last week I feel in a contemplative mood.

When I was a teenager I was very much attracted to Australia. I made a plan to go there as soon as I graduated from high school, and whatï's more I wanted to drive there in a bubble car. These contraptions were new when I was in my teens-- they were glorified scooters/motorbikes with a Perspex bubble over them, making them into tiny cars. I decided I'd drive one of these to Australia and then write a book called "Around the World in a Bubble."

I tried to persuade my best friend to join me but she (wisely) declined. Looking back it was a ridiculously dangerous dream. How would I have carried water for the Iranian desert or the Afghan mountains? Since I knew nothing about engines, what would have happened if I'd broken down miles from anywhere, or met hostile tribesmen? Still, at the time it seemed so very possible and I often wonder--what if?

Mu other big 'what if' was studying opera. When I was a small girl I told my mother I'd like to be an opera singer. She took one look at eighty pound me and said scornfully 'You'll never have the build."  But now, when I go to the opera, I see lots of slim sopranos. So I again I wonder "what if?"
So Reds and friends, do you have any dreams you wish you had dared to fulfill?

LUCY BURDETTE: You have so many talents Rhys! I flirted briefly in college with going to medical school or law school (I was all over the place), but I don't think either would have suited me. In the end, the careers I chose (clinical psychology and writing) are good fits. Now if only I'd had some talent, I would have loved to be a singer like Bonnie Raitt or Emmy Lou Harris...but I hate to stay up late. Hmmm, do you think they'd let me do concerts in the morning or afternoon?

HALLIE EPHRON: I was supposed to spend a summer in Accra in Ghana -- I had a university-sponsored job lined up, was studying West African politics at Barnard and planned to do some field work. When I got to the airport the (charter) plane had been oversold. WAY oversold.
So I went home devastated. Needing a shoulder to cry on, I called the chap I'd dumped a few months earlier. Within a week I had a summer job and a sublet (that sweet man moved in with me.) Less than a year later we were married. Talk about turning points.

HANK PHILLIPPI RYAN: Yup, I was a law school possibility, too...I had thought that would be the way I could help change the world. Instead, Kent State happened. I went into politics, as a staffer in several political campaigns.  However. Every candidate I worked for--lost. (Not that it had anything to do with me--I was 20 years old.) So instead of being an aide to the governor, I was unemployed.  That was the only reason I--searching for something that could make a difference- applied for a job as a reporter in 1971. And I've been a reporter ever since.
I always talk about how seeming disappointment turns to unexpected wonderfulness. You never know.
SInging? In my dreams. When my family sings Happy Birthday together, you can't  even recognize what song it is.)

DEBORAH CROMBIE: Oh, Rhys, I think about this sometimes.  So many choices that could have made my life turn out so differently. What if I'd gotten into Cornell for that master's degree in wildlife biology? Would I have gone somewhere exotic? Ended up teaching at a college and doing research? Lived on a wildlife preserve?
Or what if I'd gone to New York to look for a publishing job after college?
Or what if my ex and I had stayed in Scotland or England instead of coming back to Texas?
What if I'd decided to go back to grad school instead of writing that first novel???
Oh, and a funny thing. When I'd sold the first Duncan and Gemma novel, I contemplated writing another series about a female park ranger, using my hard-won biology training. Guess who published her first novel the same year? Nevada Barr. We were both nominated for the Agatha for Best First Novel. She won.

ROSEMARY HARRIS: Road not taken? You mean other than the time I turned down JFK Jr for a date? Just kidding...no, no, no! I am exactly where I'm supposed to be.

RHYS: I should add that actually I did go to live in Australia in my twenties and met my husband there. My parents and brother bother moved there, so I started a trend. My brother still lives in Tasmania. And I did sing with the local opera chorus for a whileï. And looking back, I'm so glad I've been a writer all my life.  How about you, dear friends? Have you ever had a turning point, a road not taken?

Mermaids and other noir poetry

JAN BROGAN: We feature a lot of different writers here at Jungle Red. Most of them are mystery writers, but not all.  It's August, so why not try something completely different. What haven't we posted much of? 


Poetry.

James Hutchings lives in Melbourne, Australia.  He specializes in short fantasy fiction. His work has appeared in Daily Science Fiction, fiction365 and Enchanted Conversation among other markets.  He blogs regularly at http://www.apolitical.info/teleleli.

When James Hutchings contacted me about his new e-book, The New Death and Others, a collection of dark fantasy short stories and poetry, I asked to see the poetry. As far as I'm concerned, there isn't enough accessible poetry in the world, or maybe, I don't make as much effort as I should to find the accessible poetry in the world. In either event,  I loved Jame's work and thought I'd share two of his poems.  The first, is especially, perfect for August.  







 Heard the Mermaids Singing

I have heard the mermaids singing, each to each.
I do not think that they will sing to me.
T. S. Eliot.

I heard the mermaids singing
and wished I had not heard.
I heard the mermaids singing
a song that has no words.
I heard the mermaids singing
"Come, walk into the sea,"
and all the waves that break are like
white horses sent for me.

I heard the mermaids singing
and wished I could forget.
I heard the mermaids singing
and walked away, and yet
I heard the mermaids singing
and hear them singing still.
As water to a wall of sand
their singing to my will.

IF MY LIFE WAS FILMED

If my life was filmed, it would
go straight to DVD
and someone who was famous once
would have the role of me
and if five stars meant 'excellent'
you'd give it two or three
and most of those who rented it
would watch ironically.

Years later they would track me down
and do an interview.
They'd say "I heard you died," and I'd
say "Yeah, I heard that too."
"Is any of it fictional?"
"Perhaps a scene or two.
There weren't as many ninjas, but
the rest is mostly true."


The book, The New Death and Others, by James Hutchings touches on such topics as:: Death gets a roommate...An electronic Pope faces a difficult theological question...
A wicked vizier makes a terrible bargain...

There are 44 stories, 19 poems and "no sparkly vampires."Amazon:

You can find his poetry at: http://www.amazon.com/dp/B005Q8Q8DY

Smashwords:

http://www.smashwords.com/books/view/92126

Barnes & Noble:

http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/the-new-death-and-others-james-hutchings/1106579897

DriveThruFiction:

http://www.drivethrufiction.com/index.php?manufacturers_id=4616

If you have any questions about poetry, or James's apparent prejudice against sparkly vampires (and more importantly are muted vampires, okay?), he'll be checking in!

Return from Oz

RHYS: I know I've been invisible and silent for a while, but I've had a good excuse. John and I have been in the Australian Outback. This was one of those trips that we've put off, until we realized that we can't count on good health forever and we should do it while we're both fit.

It was not by any means a first trip to Australia. In fact Australia has played a big part in my life. I went to work for Australian Broadcasting in my twenties, met John in Sydney and reluctantly moved to California with him. My brother followed me to Australia, married and settled there. My parents also settled there when they retired. So for a while my whole family was in New South Wales.

I visited many times. I was there when my parents died. So the place carries powerful memories and emotions for me from weddings to funerals. But my experience of the Land Down Under has all been of the Eastern coast--green, fertile, lots of lakes and rivers. I realized I should never really know Australia until I had visited the Red Center.

So this trip took us to Alice Springs, to Uluru, to various bright red mountains and gorges with secret waterfalls and refreshing cold pools. We went to Darwin and Kakadu National Park and saw more crocodiles than we wanted to, and water buffalo and camels and kangaroos, frilled lizards, goanas and zillions of birds. We have come home sated with nature--and with a greater appreciation for the real outback; lonely cattle stations bigger than Belgium, supporting one cow per acre, red dust that clings to everything, amazing sunsets. It's an impressive country and there is nowhere else on Earth that I have been that has given me the impression of being truly far away and different. I've taken pages of notes and hope to write a book some day.

And speaking of books, this trip has meant that I missed Bouchercon--the World Mystery Convention--for the first time in many years. Of course now I'm regretting this and hope that my Jungle Red Sisters will chime in with reports on the convention and any juicy gossip that's fit to print.

HALLIE: Well, the #1 bit of gossip from Bouchercon is that Rhys Bowen (yes OUR Rhys Bowen) won the Sue Feder Memorial Award for Best Historical Mystery for A ROYAL PAIN. Congratulations, Rhys! To add to your formidable collection.

I came back early after teaching at the wonderful Sisters in Crime before-conference writing workshop. Donald Maas's session was fantastic--gave me a slew of ideas for revision my WIP (work-in-progress). And Nancy Picard's talk left me laughing and inspired, a great combo.

Indianapolis was great -- and I especially loved meeting all those librarians! There were about 80 of them at the Sisters in Crime Librarian's Tea...another brilliant moment.

ROBERTA: Yes, big Rhys congrats to you! Jim Huang and his committee did a wonderful job with the convention--an amazing and backbreaking job if ever there was one. I was very proud of the presence of Sisters in Crime in Indianapolis--organizing a few of the events was my swan song on the board. Not sure how I'll fill up my time--maybe a trip to Australia??

In fact my hub and I are discussing where to take vacation next year. We've never been to Japan, China, Australia, New Zealand, South America, India--a long list of possibilities. Would be happy to hear suggestions!

RO: So jealous! I've had the Aussie fantasy ever since The Thorn Birds and all of those great Australian movies/series from the 80's - A Town Like Alice, Breaker Morant, The Last Wave, Gallipoli. I did get to meet Bryan Brown once (and practically fainted) but that was as close as I've gotten.

RHYS: Thanks for the congrats. I was really surprised to win this time, given the serious historical writers who were my fellow nominees.
A Town Like Alice has always been one of my favorite books, which was one of the reasons I was so anxious to see the real town. It doesn't have much going for it apart from its location, actually. Right in the middle of the continent and fabulous mountain ranges around it. (Oh and I loved the movie, speaking of Bryan Brown....very sexy guy.)

So the Australian Outback is crossed off my bucket list. I still have to see the pyramids in Egypt and go on an African safari, but I'm less and less inclined to subject my body to those long flights and all that airport annoyance. One thing that came across about Australia was how pleasant the people are. Even the airport security guys could joke and speak in pleasant tones. And everyone in stores has time to talk. If it weren't so far away, I'd get rid of the condo in Phoenix and spend my winters Down Under.