It's Fiction, Dammit.

RHYS BOWEN:  Like the rest of the Reds I get letters all the time telling me I’ve got something wrong. It seems that readers get great delight from scoring a point against authors, whether it's a typo on page 54 and would you please go back to print, or some fact that they are sure is not right. Much of the time it is they who have got it wrong. Clare and I are just in the middle of copy edits for our next Molly Murphy book and the editor has queried our time line in some of the innovations we mention. However Clare, the most meticulous researcher in the universe, can quote an article in a trade publication or a lawsuit in the NYT that proves we are right.

It's funny because we are writing fiction. We should be able to make up what we like. But if we are writing about a real time and place then accuracy is important, at least it is to me. I want to take my reader to that time and place and make them feel that they are there. For the early Molly books I went to New York and walked every street that Molly would have walked. I got a letter saying “the distance she walked was quite impossible.”  I replied, “I walked it.”

For The Paris Assignment I got a letter from an Australian woman saying that nobody would have flown out from England before 1970. They would have taken a ship. Again I replied, “I did.”

The one thing you absolutely can’t get wrong is guns and trains. People who know about those are fanatics. In one Constable Evans book I had a missing dueling pistol when someone is found dead. I got all these letters saying “those pistols didn’t use bullets. So stupid etc etc” and I replied, “read on.” A chapter or two later a bullet is found and it is decided that the missing pistol has nothing to do with the murder.

But I got a letter from a train buff complaining that the train Molly had taken to San Francisco would not have stopped in Reno because that particular train would have taken the Winnemucca cut. Nothing happened in Reno. The train stopped then went on. No major plot point happened there. But it mattered to this man..

So I do work hard to get things right. IN one of the Constable Evans books Evan has to creep up a steep mountainside and wrestle a rifle away from a man. I asked John to help me figure out how he’d do this and we ended up wrestling on the kitchen floor, muttering "If I grab this, you'd grab that.". Our son (teenager at the time) came in, stared in utter horror, and asked “What are you doing?”  But we got the scene right!

I’m really annoyed when I watch something on TV and they get it wrong. As John will attest, I complain quite often. One pet peeve is when a policeman has to break down a door. I don’t know if you’ve tried this, but you’d dislocate your shoulder long before the door would give, especially if it's a good old British solid oak door. However on TV the policeman is not even seen rubbing the affected shoulder afterward.

Another pet peeve is the number of times people are knocked unconscious in books. If they are knocked out in every single book in a series they are going to have severe brain problems. Concussions are not to be taken lightly, as I can tell you from the latest sports protocols. In a water polo match in which my granddaughter was playing the goalie was taken out after a ball hit her in the head. Not allowed to play for the rest of the game.

So I do understand. It is worth getting every detail right because it will matter to somebody. I’m always so tempted to write back saying “It’s fiction, dammit.”

Do you have any pet peeves about things that books and TV get wrong? And authors, have you had snippy letters telling you that you’ve goofed?

Who Are you? Reds on real people

 RHYS BOWEN: The other day on Jungle Reds I wrote a piece about the new book I am writing and how I am trying to get to know the characters. Creating a character is a mysterious process. For me, once they open their mouths and speak I seem to know who they are. I get a visual image. Something to build on. But how does one ‘create’ a character? I wish I knew. It’s like a good recipe: we take a brief encounter with a woman at the bank, add a touch of Aunt Alice, something we saw on TV, stir together and hopefully a new character is born.

It's interesting to wonder how often we use real people in our books. I hear Sue Grafton started to write mysteries so she could kill her ex-husband on paper. Ian Rankin tells a funny story about his father, who was convinced that every character Ian writes is based on him.

“Is that one me?” he’d say.

Ian would answer, “No, dad. That’s a nun.”

But I suspect we do delve into our personal experience and base our characters on real people. I deliberately modeled Georgie’s grandfather in the Royal Spyness books on my own father: a kind, gentle man from a humble background. Someone you could run to and feel safe with. Exactly what I wanted in Georgie’s life. But unlike Georgie’s grandfather , my father would not have been ill-at-ease among his social betters. He chatted several times with the old Queen Mother. In fact he chatted with anyone he met.

Mrs. Williams in the Constable Evans books was modeled on my Welsh great aunt. A fabulous cook who constantly wanted to feed us up. Several other members of that cast were people I’d met in Wales.

I’m trying to think whether I’ve ever killed off someone in my books I would have liked to get rid of in real life? I know my old headmistress from school features in several books—any cold, spiteful, bossy teacher you see in my stories—that’s her. But I don’t think I’ve actually killed her.

I have noticed that a couple of leading males in my stories are good-looking men with Irish backgrounds and dark hair. Interesting that. My husband, with one Irish grandfather, definitely has the black Irish look. It wasn’t intentional, merely subconscious.

And I realize now that my books are peopled with real historical characters: the royal family, Noel Coward, Winston Churchill, Queen Victoria... but I was thinking more about people from our own lives. 

So Reds, where did your characters come from? Have you deliberately used real people? Killed off real people?

JENN McKINLAY: In my very first mystery I killed off the Hub’s boss. It was delightfully therapeutic for the both of us. My victims do tend to be real people who annoy me even though I may not know them personally. A certain celebrity that I find grating, a cousin that is trying, or a fellow PTO member who won’t shut up so the meeting can blessedly end, that sort of thing. 

But my protagonists are mashups of the favorite people in my life, so it will be a friend’s delightful humor added to another friend’s amazing head of hair, grounded by my mom’s intelligence. Probably, that’s why I’m so fond of them all. None of it is planned out but rather the character grows into these attributes organically or as needed. LOL.

JULIA SPENCER-FLEMING: I have definitely used real people in my books, usually in small roles and with great affection. Clare’s snappy secretary Lois? My mom, Lois. Investigative reporter Ben Beagle? Was an editor for the Livingston County News when I met him, and is now an editor at The Daily News  serving three western NY counties. His name really is Ben Beagle and he really does always wear Snoopy ties. My sister Barbara and brother-in-law Daniel are recurring characters (and have gotten to the point where they’re dating in the books!)

My rules, as it were, for including real people is that they have minor roles. Ben Beagle comes on stage, annoys Russ, who hates reporters just a little less than he hates lawyers, asks some pointed questions that move the plot along, and then exits. Trying to make a reality-based character grow and change within a novel is a recipe for disaster, I believe. You’ll wind up trying to stuff your organically-grown person into a real-person suit, to the detriment of both.

HALLIE EPHRON: I do not, for the most part, base my characters on real people. Though the old woman in THERE WAS AN OLD WOMAN is how I imagine myself if I persist into my 90’s. And I did kill my father off in the opening scene of NIGHT NIGHT, SLEEP TIGHT. I like to think he’d have gotten a kick out of it. And, now that I think about it, my mother inspired characters in several books as well. My next door neighbor’s dog Phoebe, an ornery ederly pooch with a grizzled muzzle who grunt-snorted about, is in NEVER TELL A LIE. In the book, Phoebe saves the main character’s life. But when they made that book into a movie, Phoebe turned into a little white french poodle. And they killed her. Which infuriated me. 

HANK PHILLIPPI RYAN: Well, now it can be told. Charlotte McNally’s mother is precisely my mother, gorgeous and hilarious and brilliant, and whose favorite admonition to me was “I’m not criticizing, I’m just observing.”

But she was, frankly, not too happy about her portrayal at first, putting it mildly, until I convinced her to read the whole book (Face Time) after which she called me, crying, to thank me for having written “a mother-daughter love story.” So all’s well that ended well.

SInce then, however, I have to say no one is anyone. Ever. Ever.  There are a few, if I may quietly divulge, unpleasant judges who are portrayed with tiny bits of insider knowledge just to make my lawyer-husband Jonathan happy.  (And by unpleasant, I mean judges who have ruled against him.)  But they will never recognize themselves.

LUCY BURDETTE: I guess I’m an outlier here, because my Key West books are chock full of real people. Some of them play smaller parts, like the cat man, and others have bigger roles such as Lorenzo, the tarot card reader, and Martha, the chef. Martha burst out in A DEADLY FEAST and plays a big part in A DISH TO DIE FOR, coming in August. She’s also in the book I’m writing (slowly) now. The only time I made an egregious error was when someone bid on a character name and I turned him into a possible child molester. That was not kind, as our daughter says to her daughter…

DEBORAH CROMBIE: In my very first novel I modeled a character I really like after my grandmother, but of course in the writing she became her own person, as characters tend to do.  Since then, I don't think I've ever used a specific person, but I'm sure that people I know creep into all of my characters because that's where we draw our experience from. I think it would be fun to use real people the way Lucy does, but my books don't seem to lend themselves to it.

Rhys: Okay, writer friends. Who has killed a real person on the page?  Used a family member? Did they recognize themselves?

Rhys Spreads a Little Christmas Cheer

RHYS BOWEN: This has been the week when the Reds take over the world. Well, not quite. Writers are known to embellish the truth, but this week we are celebrating THREE Reds releases, which is pretty amazing, don't you think.

And Ingrid has kindly given me a day to talk a little about mine. It's called THE GHOST OF CHRISTMAS PAST and is a Molly Murphy book--as you can guess from the cover it's another Christmas story. Having already published two books this year, In Farleigh Field in the spring and On Her Majesty's Frightfully Secret Service in August, I really didn't have time to write a third book this year. I mean, only a crazy person (or maybe our darling Jenn) would think of writing three books in a year. But my publisher kept on at me: couldn't I find time for maybe a shorter book, a Christmas book? And in the end it was easier to say yes.

And my editor said, "Do you have an idea for another Christmas book?"
 And off the top of my head I replied, "How about on Christmas Eve a small child walks out into the snow and simply vanishes. The footsteps just stop."
And she said, "Ooh, I love it!"
And as I walked away I remember thinking, "I have absolutely no idea how I'm going to make that work!"

But it did work, and I think you'll find it both suspenseful and heartwarming. As with all my Molly books, her own story is always woven into the plot. And this time she is in a dark place--I won't tell you why. You have to read the book. But finding this young mother's tragic story helps her to heal from her own depression.

So Jenn and I will be part of the Poisoned Pen holiday party in Scottsdale tomorrow at 2 p.m. and we'll be happy to sign copies for you (books make great Christmas presents. Think of Iceland!)

Also this week marks another huge anniversary for me and real cause for celebration: TWENTY YEARS AGO THIS WEEK MY FIRST MYSTERY WAS PUBLISHED.  Evans Above. With a print run of 2500. And an advance so small that... well let's just say it took care of a trip to Starbucks.

This should be a heartening tale for those of you at the start of your writing careers. I knew nobody in the mystery community. I had zero encouragement from my publisher. My book was on the very last page of the catalog. And in addition to those, when I should have been trying to publicize the book I was instead in Australia with my mum who was dying of pancreatic cancer.

 But I had a three book contract--there was a glimmer of hope. I joined SinC and MWA. I went to as many bookstores as I could. And my second book was nominated for a Barry Award: on a list with Michael Connelly, Ian Rankin, Jeffrey Deaver: I thought someone was playing a cruel joke when they sent me the notification. But it was true. And it gave me tremendous hope. Important people thought my book was worth reading!

My one piece of luck was that in those days there was a mystery bookstore in almost every city. My husband retired and together we criss-crossed the country signing and speaking at any bookstore that would have me. Usually with an audience of 2 or three. Robin Agnew at Aunt Agathas reminded me that the first time it was herself and one Welsh woman at my signing. Last summer they had to hold my event at the library because the store wasn't big enough!

Exactly the same with the Poisoned Pen. Only three or four people but Barbara Peters believed in me and kept inviting me back and now it's quite normal to sell over 100 books there.

 So you beginning writers here is my message: Have faith. Believe in your own talent. Write the best book you can, every time. Be partners with as many bookstores as possible. Speak anywhere you are asked. Make the most of the all the great opportunities MWA and SinC offer you and realize that for most of us it is small steps forward.  Unless the publisher offers you a six figure advance you are not going to get any real help from them. It's all up to you!

So keep working hard. Next February will see the publication of my FORTIETH mystery/suspense novel. Again it's historical and it's called THE TUSCAN CHILD.  And one day you might switch on your computer to see this:

Okay, I realize that the other two are in this position habitually and I only pop in occasionally but it's still very nice!

And I'm happy to give away a signed copy of THE GHOST OF CHRISTMAS PAST to one lucky commenter today!  All you'll need is a roaring fire, a cup of tea and a box of chocolates and you're all set for the season!

On Book Clubs

LUCY BURDETTE: Though my hometown book club is on hiatus, we had a lot of wonderful discussions over the years. For a while, we decided that the hostess would choose the book and also provide dinner to other members. My turn came when we discussed Carlos Eire’s WAITING FOR SNOW IN HAVANA. I made an elaborate Cuban meal, including pork roast with black beans and baked bananas. Funny how I remember the details of the food better than the details of the book (although it was an excellent memoir.)
As a writer, I love book clubs even more, and I’ve had some fabulous visits with groups over the course of three cozy mystery series. Luckily for me, these often involved food. (Fudge pie anyone? Or how about the onerous task of judging molasses cookies?) The latest was a book group in Connecticut that was reading AN APPETITE FOR MURDER. The hostess created a Key West-themed meal, including decorations and Hemingway cocktails. Oh how I wished I’d been there in person, rather than by FaceTime! (You can read that whole story here.)  

But this book club photo has to take the cake—these girls are from northern Germany, so far north they are almost to Denmark, and their teacher sent me their questions about the book and I answered by email.

Over to you Reds. Do you belong to a book group or club? What’s your favorite book club story as a writer?

RHYS BOWEN: Unfortunately I don't have time to belong to a book club. I do belong to a hiking group and we find ourselves discussing books we've read as we hike--so I suppose it is an itinerant book club. I have led book club discussions at Book Passage bookstore. I've been a guest a many book clubs, lately more via Skype than in person, and I've

photo from Wikipedia

sent discussion questions to many more. I'm afraid I find being a guest in person rather awkward. Nobody can say what they really thought of the book with me sitting there, and I know from my experience as a facilitator at Book Passage that members are super critical. One session I led was on Edgar winners and my book club members didn't like any of them. Gleefully they pointed out flaws in Michael Connelly and Jan Burke etc. So I'm always thinking that they really hate my book and are just being polite.


 

My favorite book club memory? Would have to be the first book club for my first Constable Evans book, when I realized that ten people, sitting around me, had all read my book!

 




HALLIE EPHRON: I don't belong to a book club, either. I have barely time to read what I have to for my own work. 

I love going to book groups, or even Skyping. Better in person because there's always good food. A dear friend had me talk about "Night Night, Sleep Tight" to her book group - and she made food from the '60s when the book's set. Quiche! Pigs in a blanket! Just needed some Sara Lee cheesecake. It was lovely. Thanks, Nathalie!

 

HANK PHILLIPPI RYAN: I, sigh, belonged to a book club once. It took up a LOT of time, and I didn't really love it...except for one fabulous discussion we had about Bel Canto, which was unforgettable. (And shows you how long ago it was...)  I left the book club for two reasons: One, when my turn to pick the book came, I chose Edith Wharton's Custom of the Country, which I adore. NOBODY else liked it, and they proceeded to rip it to shreds.

And when I started writing PRIME TIME, so than I had NO more time.

I adore going to bookclubs, and I love it in person way more than Skype. It is SUCH a treat to be in a place where people have read my books, I so agree!  And yes, there is that element of knowing no one is going to criticize--but hey, what's so bad about that?  Nice and polite is good, right? Just, as they say, spell my name right.

Oh, sorry, one more thing. I always learn something at book clubs. For instance: One woman talked about how I have different characters leading different scenes. I said yes, it's multiple point of view. 

She had NEVER heard that phrase, nor did she understand it. When I explained it, I absolutely saw the light dawn in her eyes.
"You should teach people about that," she said.
But from then on, I realized that people do not see the world in the same way we do. And that is such an important thing for a writer to remember.

JULIA SPENCER-FLEMING: No book club for me, either, although I volunteer at our small local library, and the spontaneous conversations about reading are wonderful (and informative!) I do enjoy speaking to book clubs  especially since Skype has made it so easy to do from home. I recently chatted with my mother's book club in upstate New York, and had a great time. (Although talk about not wanting to say anything bad...imagine if you have both the author AND her mother listening!)

Best book club experience was early on, when I went in person to the book club hosted by one of the teachers at Ross's school. Book club was also Fancy Desserts and Wine Club, and we all had a wonderful, caloric time. After the discussion had ended, one of the members said to me, "That was terrific! It's the first time we ever actually talked about the book!"

LUCY: How about you Red readers--do you belong to a book club?