Summer Reading

LUCY BURDETTE: we are a little late on this​,​ but s​ince two​ full​ months of summer remain​,​ I think it’s a good time to talk about our summer reading​--i​n case ​anyone is desperately in need of a book for vacation. I’ll start… Having recently returned from Scotland, I decided to take Diana Gabaldon's ​OUTLANDER, the first​ whopping book​ in her blockbuster series.

I also took Deb’s older book, ​NOW MAY YOU WEEP​ because it to​o​ was set in Scotland. As it turned out, the tour was so busy that I didn't do as much reading as I'd expected. So I'm enjoying Gemma's journey to Scotland now.

And as always,​ ​​I love finding great foodie books.​ I recommend t​w​o memoirs, one by food writer and novelist ​Ann H​ood, ​KITCHEN YARNS,​ and SAVE ME THE PLUMS, Ruth R​eich​l’s newest memoir about her time at the helm of ​G​ourmet magazine. 

HANK PHILLIPPI RYAN: What did you think of Outlander? That book is amazing, and Diana Gabaldon is a treasure For me.  Lots of advance copies this summer and recently--Denise Mina's fabulous CONVICTION, (which is out now) and the terrific new Ann Cleeves THE LONG CALL!  I also read THE STRANGER DIARIES, which  I adored, and my new love Carol Goodman, who I am so far behind on and the only good part is getting the fun of catching up. Her new THE NIGHT VISITORS is great.   You HAVE read Angie Kim's Miracle Creek, haven't you? Brilliant.  I know I have left some out...ahh.  Cannot wait to hear what you're all reading!

DEBORAH CROMBIE: I've got Ruth Reichl's SAVE ME THE PLUMS, too, Lucy, and so far I'm really enjoying it. Also, I treated myself to the new Kate Atkinson, Jackson Brodie novel, BIG SKY, so I'm sort of switching back and forth between these two. I've just finished the first two books by British writer Roz Watkins, which I highly recommend. The first, THE DEVIL'S DICE, was short-listed for the Gold Dagger in the UK. The second is DEAD MAN'S DAUGHTER. They are set in the Peak District and the protagonist is a female DI named Meg Dalton. Fans of Vera and Elly Griffith's Ruth Galloway will love these.

And, one of my big summer projects is rereading quite a few of my own books. In the Kincaid/James WIP, I'll be dealing with some characters and situations from earlier books, and I need to get in the zone!

HALLIE EPHRON: I just finished reading an advance copy of Deb's A BITTER FEAST. I was glued to it for three days. It is the PERFECT combination foodie book/brilliant mystery novel with great characters. I am hoping two of her characters, chef Viv and her moody teenage daughter, will be back in future books. Much of the story takes place in a restaurant kitchen (specializing in gourmet Irish cooking... I know, sounds like an oxymoron) with such fascinating detail. Short of running a restaurant herself, I have no idea how Debs managed the feel of authenticity. Then there were the thick juicy ins and outs of the plot. Sorry, It's not out until October but you can order it now.

JENN McKINLAY: I've been on a women's fiction bender since I'll be rolling into that genre next summer with the book that has yet to be named (you can picture my agonized face here). There is some fantastic writing happening in female centric fiction these days. Notably, I enjoyed Sonali Dev's Pride, Prejudice, and Other Flavors, multicultural and a gender twist on Austen, and debut author Evie Dunmore's Bringing Down the Duke, a historical about suffragettes that is so smart and fun. On audio, I've been listening to Everything Is F*cked by Mark Manson. I'm not sure how I feel about it yet, other than it is fascinating and he has a nice reading voice. We need to do a few hundred more miles on the treadmill together.

RHYS BOWEN: I’m writing this from a river boat in Europe so I haven’t had too much time for reading lately. However I also read Debs’ A Bitter Feast and thought it was one of her best with such a feel for the Cotswolds and lots of lovely food. I’ve been in Venice so on a Donna Leon binge and currently re-reading Rebecca as it will come into my next Georgie book.

​What about you? What have you read and loved, and what are you looking forward to?​

kc dyer's love letter to Scotland & the elusive Jamie Fraser

HALLIE EPHRON: Today I’m delighted to welcome (back) kc dyer, whose bestselling book FINDING FRASER is a complete delight. Think OUTLANDER meets BRIDGET JONES DIARY.

Her protagonist (Emma Sheridan) has fallen hopelessly in love with Diana Gabaldon’s fictional (we think) creation, Jamie Fraser, and goes off to Scotland in search of the next best thing.

It’s a lovely homage to Gabaldon, who generously and enthusiastically cheered kc’s efforts. And for kc, it’s part love story, part coming of age, and it made me completely believe that the real kc had fallen in love with the real (fictional) Jamie Fraser.

kc?

kc dyer: But of course! Who could read the Outlander books and not fall for Jamie Fraser? Tall, noble, willing to do anything for the woman he loves? A heroic figure for sure. And that Scottish accent does NOT hurt.

HALLIE:  Not to get too personal, but were you actually looking for Fraser at the time when you conceptualized and wrote the book? And how has that worked out for you?

kc: Hahaha! You are not alone in that thought, Hallie! I've had a LOT of fan-mail from people convinced I wrote a secret sort of roman á clef, after having combed the auld sod for my own true love.

The sorry truth is that this story is entirely fiction, apart from the fact I see it as a bit of a love-letter to Scotland itself. I have been to all the places Emma visited, it's true, but not in search of my own Fraser.

Would I mind if one had actually shown up? NOT AT ALL. But so far, no luck on that front!

HALLIE: The setting for the book is spectacular Scotland. Is that a place that holds a special significance for you?

kc: Absolutely. My family originally hailed from Scotland, both Edinburgh and Inverness. My very first book, SEEDS OF TIME, was set in the West Highlands at the time of the Black Plague. I love it there and go as often as I can. And I clearly took my children with me on research trips once too often, as my daughter now lives in Edinburgh. Yet another reason for me to visit!

HALLIE: Were you worried how Diana Gabaldon would respond to you, ahem, appropriating her character? How has she reacted?

kc: Oh my gosh. I was SO worried. When I first had the idea for the book, I told my writing partner and she laughed. So, essentially I wrote the story just for the pure fun of it. I told myself that Diana [who is a long-time friend] would never see it, and went ahead and wrote it. But, just by coincidence, I finished the first draft at about 3 in the morning on the night before Valentine's Day.

You know that post-draft feeling of euphoria that happens in the middle of the night? Well, that's what happened. I was feeling all giddy and happy to be finished, but the story actually opens on Valentine's Day, which is the main character's birthday. I decided to spill the beans to Diana.

I knew I would have to admit that not only does my Emma love the Outlander books, but that I had written Diana herself into the story, too. So I sent her a long letter explaining that if she didn't like the story or felt it impugned the marvelous world she had created, I would put it into a box under my bed.

I felt it was important she knew that Finding Fraser was a story about a fan of Outlander, but it was in no way fan-fiction. Luckily for me, she appreciated that distinction and has been wonderfully supportive ever since.

HALLIE: Have you had a great time watching this book do so well? And do men show up to your readings in kilts?

kc: Watching this book do well has been the most fun EVER. It's now an international best-seller. My first book was published in 2002, and Finding Fraser is my 7th book, but it's my first for grown-ups, and my first best-seller. And yes, I've had many men in kilts come to my signings. It's like a little Scottish miracle. Maybe I'll find that Fraser yet!

HALLIE: I completely loved this book and hope many of our friends out there will have as much fun with it as I did. Anyone who's been to the Surrey International Writers Conference will recognize the inimitable Jack Whyte (author of the Guardians of Scotland series and a true character in his own right) who shows up from time to time to drink with Emma offer his sage advice.

Today's question: What hunks from literature would you be willing to travel across the ocean to meet? Mr. Darcy? Robb Stark? Ross Poldark?

A Second Look at Romance

HANK PHILLIPPI RYAN:  Happy Saturday, all!  I’m teaching today in Wisconsin, and I wanted to give you something really wonderful to read and discuss. And viola. The fabulous Wendy Tyson provided the perfect thing,

The Mystery of Romance

     By Wendy Tyson

One day during the early months with my agent, she called me at work out of the blue.  She knew I was working on a new novel and had some suggestions.  “Romance, Wendy,” she said.  “I’m not talking about sex. Ro-mance.  There’s a critical difference. Even in a mystery, readers like a little love with their suspense.”

Clearly she didn’t know me that well yet. “Fran,” I replied. “I’ve been married for almost twenty-five years. I’m not sure I’d know romance if it grabbed me by the ankles and flipped me to the ground.”

 

She laughed. “Then tell your husband he has some work to do.”

Yeah, about that.  I love my engineer husband—he’s warm, caring, funny, and brilliant—but when I shared my agent’s comments, he gave me the same look he gives me when I suggest we go to the local vegan restaurant for dinner. “Uh-huh,” he said. “I’ll get right on that.”

This was going to go nowhere.

Only my agent’s suggestion stayed with me.  She was right, of course (she typically is).  Though I’d never been a big romance reader, I certainly appreciated a well-written love story woven into a book or movie. Who didn’t root for the budding romance between Harry and Sally?  Who didn’t weep at the end of The Notebook?  Who else gets teary when they hear the song “Book of Love”?

Oh, who was I kidding?

The truth is, I’m a hopeless romantic.  When it comes to matters of the heart, I believe in love at first sight, ‘til death do us part, and kindred spirits.  I want love to triumph. I’m impractical, imprudent, and I wear my sensitive heart right out there on my sleeve.  And so does my engineer husband, so don’t let him fool you. There may not be romance in the bring-me-flowers-and-chocolate sense, but there was something.

But how do you translate something onto the page?

And so I read romance novels, I watched chick flicks, and I even talked to my friends about what they liked about Fifty Shades of Grey.  But everything I wrote seemed to come out forced.  Sex? Sure. The intricacies of a marital partnership?  Absolutely.  

This nebulous thing called romance?  Not quite.

Then a chance encounter changed my perspective.

It was last spring, and I had been invited to the Southern Kentucky Book Fest. My work schedule is always brutal during the first quarter of the fiscal year, and I had to fly from Philadelphia to Chicago and then on to Nashville for the festival.  By the time we touched down in Tennessee, I was exhausted. The coordinators had been kind enough to arrange for a car service to pick me up at the Nashville airport. The driver, a kindly older man, informed me that there was just one other author we needed to find.  He spotted her across the terminal and waved.

Surprised and instantly humbled, I saw that my companion was Diana Gabaldon, author of the Outlander novels.  Diana was gracious enough to entertain my chatter for much of the drive to Bowling Green, and while she said many things during that hour that seemed incredibly wise to me, one thing became clear:  Diana wrote what she wanted to write. I am paraphrasing—and perhaps even putting my own memory spin on the conversation—but what I heard during that drive from the airport was “make no apologies” and “be true to yourself.”

Now I know, of course, that it’s imperative as an author to write with authenticity, and chasing a market can backfire. But somewhere along the line in my search for romance, I’d lost sight of the simple fact that my experiences mattered—even on the topic of romance. Sure, I’d been married since George courted Martha. Yes, I hadn’t dated in years. But I knew what it meant to cuddle on the couch with my best friend while our children slept upstairs, and I understood the incredible power of hearing his calming voice during a crisis. Together we’d felt the tantalizing butterflies of getting to know someone, and apart we’d experienced the heart wrenching pain of loss.  

Wasn’t romance, in the end, a compilation of these feelings and experiences, a link to the very thing that makes us all human—the need for connection.

It just so happens that I was three-quarters of the way through A Muddied Murder during my chance encounter with Dr. Gabaldon.  Inspired, I went back to my manuscript that night and took a fresh look at it.  I had a main character and a love interest, the Scottish veterinarian, but I’d placed them in the situations I thought others expected—not what I wanted for them.  I started rewriting that evening, drawing on all the small moments that together—over days and weeks and months and years—made a relationship special and strong. The slow building of trust.  The heat of desire. The testing of boundaries.  The shared embarrassments, triumphs and failures.

It was working. A spark was igniting.  I had that little bit of romance. 

I’ve been pleased to see that readers feel the chemistry between Dr. “Denver” Finnand Megan Sawyer.  I’ve been even more pleased that my passion for these characters translated to the page.  In the end, what I learned is that romance—in a book, at least—is a group affair. There are the characters. And the reader. And the author. 

At home, it’s just my husband and me (and the kids). There are still no flowers, and he only buys me chocolate when he wants some too.  But sometimes he’ll accompany me to the vegan restaurant. Without complaint.

And if that’s not romance, I don’t know what is.

HANK: Diana Gabaldon! Wow. We are HOOKED on Outlander. 

But aw. Really,  so wonderful. right now I am giving a keynote and talking about “how to write a novel.” Ha. I wish you were with me, Wendy.  But meanwhile—we’ve talked about about mystery and romance here from time to time—what’s the MOST romantic movie you’ve ever seen? Or book you’ve ever read?

Mine is..ah.  Lemme think.  The real  Sabrina? Philadelphia Story? Oh! Affair to Remember.  The Island Queen?  Jonathan would say A Farewell to Arms.  How about you, Reds and readers?

(And don't forget: My contest is still open. You could win $100 gift certificate for any bookstore you choose!  Click here:
a.pgtb.me/8cxcN4/kNTjn 

(And if you'd also like a signed bookplate--perfect for Mother's Day gifts!--Let me know!)

 ****************

Wendy Tyson is an author, lawyer and former therapist whose background has inspired her mysteries and thrillers.  Wendy writes two series, the Allison Campbell Mystery Series and the Greenhouse Mystery Series. The first Greenhouse mystery, A Muddied Murder, was released March 29, 2016 to strong reviews.  The first book in the Campbell Series, Killer Image, was named a 2014 best mystery for book clubs by Examiner.com.  Wendy is a member of Sisters in Crime and International Thriller Writers, and she is a contributing editor for The Big Thrill and The Thrill Begins, International Thriller Writers’ online magazines. Wendy and her family live on a micro-farm outside of Philadelphia.

Deb Crombie: Boxers or Briefs?

DEBORAH CROMBIE: First, a big kickoff huzzah to Hank, Hallie, Lucy, and Rhys, who are representing your fabulous REDS this weekend at Malice Domestic in Bethesda, Maryland. Hank is up for two Agatha awards, Best Contemporary Novel (for Truth Be Told) and Best Non-fiction (for Writes of Passage: Adventures on the Writer's Journey. Rhys is nominated for Best Historical Novel (for Queen of Hearts.) Fingers crossed for them both, and for all our JRW friends who are nominated as well.  The REDS are putting on a terrific game show panel, and those of us who are not there will be missing out on a great time. Sigh...

And now on a completely different subject... This is What We're Writing week here on the blog. I am slowly (is there an award for tortoises? If there is, I should win it) working my way forward on the as yet unofficially titled Kincaid/James #17, and I am thinking a lot about how writers build up characters who seem authentic to the reader.

Last Sunday I had the great pleasure of attending the Jane Austen Society of North America North Texas Region's Annual Spring Tea in the French Room at the Adolfus Hotel in downtown Dallas. (Thank you, Ashley Kath-Bilsky!) The speaker was a Regency period re-enactor named Brian Cushing who gives a wonderful talk called Undressing Mr. Darcy. Here's a little video clip to give you an idea. 

I was absolutely fascinated by Brian's talk, and I will never again read a Regency novel in quite the same light. Clothes do indeed make the man, and Brian took us through the Regency gentleman's wardrobe literally from the top (hat, although they weren't called top hats quite yet) down.  I learned, among many other things, that the Regency gentleman's long linen shirt (they reached to just above the knee) served as a one-piece undergarment. I'll let your imagination take it from there... 

I've also been watching (last person on earth here) the adaptation of Diana Gabaldon's Outlander, and have been riveted by the men's clothing. I mean, really, how can you top a Highlander in full kilted plaid? (Speaking of undergarments, ahem...)

All this started me thinking about how I dress the characters in my books. I do pay a good deal of attention to what my characters wear, and each of my main characters has a very specific style.  Gemma, for instance, avoids the stereo-typical female detective's suit at all costs. She wears greens and browns and russets, and never black, unless it's to a funeral.  Melody Talbot, on the other hand, does wear suits, but they are very expensively tailored--part vanity, part armor--and if you see Melody in ragged jeans and an old t-shirt, you know something is up. (Melody, with her dark hair and fair skin, looks terrific in black.)

Doug Cullen's wardrobe I imagine as what I call nerdy/preppy.  He's never without his wire-rimmed glasses, and while he does care about his appearance, he will, if focused on a problem, put on whatever is closest to hand. And yes, he has a cardigan or two, and they are slightly ratty...

Which brings us to Duncan. Duncan pays attention to his clothes, as befits a detective superintendent. But no pin-stripes, ever! His suits are well tailored, usually in blues and grays (not black!), and he shops in the menswear department of House of Fraser, just down Victoria Street from New Scotland Yard. On a splurge he might buy a Crombie suit--for obvious reasons I am partial. But I never see him in a waistcoat, and I always like him best in casual clothes--button-down shirt, an Arran pullover, or his scuffed leather jacket. 

All this may seem silly, but it helps me (and, I hope, the reader) to visualize my characters. Even more importantly, what my fictional people wear reveals much about their personalities and backgrounds.

Which brings us to the big question, the one I had never considered until I contemplated Mr. Darcy's one-piece undergarment--does Duncan wear boxers or briefs?

Maybe we'll find out in #17...

Readers, do you pay attention to fictional character's clothes? 

Stay Tuned For...

JULIA SPENCER-FLEMING: I don't know about you, ladies, but my life has been hectic and then some lately. When I spend all day driving daughters and husband around, walking dogs, dashing into the grocery store/hardware store/gas station/Michaels for bags of tiny mirrors that have to be delivered to the high school (CURSE YOU SCIENCE TEACHERS AND YOUR "HANDS-ON PROJECTS"!!!) and, of course, squeezing in some time to actually, you know, make my living by writing a book-- whew! After a day like that, the only thing I want to do is fall back onto the sofa and veg out in front of the tube.

So what am I watching? Youngest and I are both into SLEEPY HOLLOW with super-dreamy Tom Mison playing an Ichabod Crane that old Washington Irving would never recognize. SLEEPY HOLLOW and our other fave, ONCE UPON A TIME, have several things in common: 1) smoldering bearded men in leather pants 2) strong female characters 3) plots that are so utterly absurd you just have to surrender your right brain and go with the flow.


Youngest tried to get me to watch REIGN, which is ostensible about Mary, Queen of Scots during the years she lived in France, but after seeing one episode, I declared a boycott. I could maybe excuse the modern prom-dress stying, or the fact the ladies of the court wear their hair like they're headed for a hippie music festival. But when the writers changed Mary's attendants names from Mary, Mary, Mary and Mary, to  Kenna, Greer, Lola  and Aylee (Aylee?!?!) that was a bridge too far.

Ross and I like to watch AGENTS OF SHIELD, which has plots, superheros, backstabbing, Clark Gregg (love him!) and conveniently wraps up by our bedtime on Sunday (9pm.) My very favorite show, ELEMENTARY, has just started up its third season! I remain impressed with the writers of ELEMENTARY, because setting up and solving a decent mystery in 45 minutes of screen time is close to impossible - and they consistently do it. I only figure out the murderer in about half the episodes, unlike my old fave CASTLE, where I could usually spot the killer by the second commercial break.


As you can tell, I look for sheer escapism when I watch TV. No doctor dramas, no heartfelt families struggling with blah, blah, blah. And, hopefully, nothing that gets cancelled in half a season.

How about you, Reds? What are you watching?

LUCY BURDETTE: I have a one-track mind right now, and it's on NASHVILLE. I know it's a soap opera (geez will every single character have slept with every other character by the time the run is over?), but I love it anyway. Yes, I'd like to shake them all and tell them to talk to each other, but I wouldn't miss an episode. Love the music too!

This is off the TV topic, but when we're in Key West, we can walk to the Tropic Cinema. So we've seen two movies recently--GONE GIRL and THIS IS WHERE I LEAVE YOU. Both recommended, especially the latter if you want something funny and poignant, with an upbeat ending. The ending to Gone Girl was true to the book--brutal...

 
RHYS BOWEN: Of course for the last few weeks I've watched Giants, Giants and more Giants. In fact I've developed arthritis in the hips for not moving for three hours at a time. But my current favorites are the new Sherlock Holmes, Call the Midwife and The Amazing Race. But I have to confess that the nerdy side of me comes out watching TV and I'm often to be found staring at Nova and the origins of the universe.

HANK PHILLIPPI RYAN: I was mesmerized by OUTLANDER, even on the episode when I said to Jonathan--this is kind of repetitious, isn't it? But I didn't care. It was gorgeous. And I want all those knit scarves. MADAM SECRETARY and THE GOOD WIFE, both wonderful. Cannot wait for more GAME OF THRONES.  





Sherlock, of course, and Amazing Race.  You know my guilty pleasure is Project Runway, still.  Being on the road so much is making me miss everything, but Jonathan is dvr'ing like mad. He happily watched baseball, knowing we'll see our favorite shows together when I get home. HOMELAND is waiting!  (I have never seen Nashville, Lucy! Dare I begin...?)


HALLIE EPHRON: I confess, I do veg out in front of the TV at night. Two shows I try not to miss: THE GOOD WIFE and SCANDAL. The former is seriously good, amazing writing and acting; the second is outrageous and just ridiculously addictive. I'm addicted to ANTIQUES ROADSHOW and SHERLOCK (will there be more episodes?) Am I the only one who watched the PBS show about penguins? Mesmerizing.



JULIA: How about you, dear readers? What's the must-see TV at your house?