What's on your mind?

RO: Most mystery fans know that Carl Hiaasen has pretty strong views on the environment, in Florida, in particular. And why should he hide them? He's got a bully pulpit now. But it wouldn't work if he hadn't written some terrific books first. The Cosby Show was enormously popular before the anti-apartheid posters starting showing up in the kids' bedrooms. Later on this week (Wednesday!)our guest blogger will be NYTimes best-selling author Linda Fairstein, who, as a former NYC prosecutor and former head of NY's Sex Crimes Unit has made no secret of some of the issues that are important to her.

I gently (I am still a newbie, after all) raised the issue of day laborers in Pushing Up Daisies, and casino gambling in The Big Dirt Nap. How comfortable are you mentioning real issues in your books? We know the story has to be served first, but what about after that's done?

JAN: I always have an issue in my books. In Teaser, it was the dangers social networking pose for teenagers; in Yesterday's Fatal it was the exploitation of illegal immigrants in staged car accidents; and A Confidential Source it was casino and state-sponsored gambling. But I wouldn't exactly call it a bully pulpit. I'm not sure murder mysteries are an effective forum for advancing social change. They are more an avenue for me to research and explore the crime trends that fascinate and disturb me.

RO: Well, I guess I'm asking, not so much about advancing social change (would that we all had the power of Oprah, or to a much lesser degree Carl Hiaasen) as I'm asking about revealing your own positions on issues.

HALLIE: I think it works when Hiaasen does it because he's so funny about it. You do it with humor, too, Ro. So even though there may be a serious intent, it doesn't come off as confrontational.

ROBERTA: I think we all reveal ourselves (whether we start out with that intention or not) in our choice of characters and story. As long as the opinions read like they come from the characters rather than the heavy hand of the author, I'm all for it. Celebrities do have unusual opportunities to bring attention to world problems and I admire the ones who do that.

HANK: Yes, Roberta, I agree. It's a great way to put a spotlight on reality without beating readers over the head with it. For instance? Franklin Parrish, Charlie McNally's producer, is black. That's not really discussed, except for one brief introduction. Except...in each book there are situations that, unfortunately, would happen to Franklin and not to Charlie, who is white. He's pulled aside by airport security. He's followed by suspicious salespeople in a used car lot. He's ignored by salespeople in a posh store.
"Look at the bright side," Charlie suggests. "At least they're not bothering you." "There is no bright side," Franklin says. Charlie pauses. "I guess not." As an author, I don't need to say any more.

RO: That's that famous Ryan touch. Not too heavy, not too light!

HANK: Aw. Thanks. xo.

RHYS: I also strive for a balance between light and dark in my books.Even though I write historicals, I focus a lot on social issues and I leave the reader to draw interesting comparisons between the early twentieth century and the present day. My latest Molly book is all about the role of women in society, how women leave Vassar with bright, awakened minds, only to marry and be caged by what society thinks a wife should be. We've come a long way in that respect, but I've also written about conditions in sweat shops and the powerlessness of the immigrant--which haven't changed all that much. Even my Royal Spyness books, light as they are, have a darker underpinning of the great depression. I think that if my sleuth is a real person, she can't fail to be aware of conditions and injustices around her and they have to creep into the book.

RO: As readers and writers how do you feel when you're reading a mystery and you can feel the writer's political or social positions coming out? Do you need to agree with the main character's opinions in order to enjoy the book?

(And don't forget to come back Wednesday for the first of our two interviews with Linda Fairstein.)

Yo Ro! You Go!

..a nifty puzzle that involves Native American casinos, mysterious Russians and a stinky, slow-blooming flower."
Publishers Weekly

Breaking news!

Breaking news? Well, we all knew about it, and probably most of you did, too. But we are all so proud of our dear Rosemary, whose new book THE BIG DIRT NAP is out this week.

We love the Lara-esque hat, so we couldn't resist.

Anyway, pub dates are always--fantastic. The nerves, the joy, the possibilities. And the--reality. That his book you loved and worked on and tweaked and basically, know by heart is about to be in the hands of the public.

So Ro and I had a little chat. Nostalgia. Hopes and fears. Past and future. And husbands, and being on the road.

HANK: Remember when we first met?

RO:I do indeed. It was at a Sisters in Crime meeting at Jan Brogan's house.

HANK: Yup! What, almost three years ago Can it be?

RO: Ah. Maybe. When the scheduled speaker failed to show up, the three of us were pressed into service on an impromptu panel. We were so good (she says modestly) and so in sync that it was as if we 'd been doing it for years.

HANK: Yes, it was quite a moment. Instant sisterhood. And such serendipity! Many thanks to the state cop who decided to stay home and watch football. Anyway--How did you come up with the name Paula Holliday? I know it isn't random...

RO: Paula is in honor of my sister who, unfortunately passed away before Pushing Up Daisies was released. I knew I wanted my character's initials to be PH - because the working title for Daisies was The PH Factor - and Harris was a no go. I think I stumbled upon an old Judy Holliday film one night when I was channel surfing and thought Holliday was a fun, memorable name. And Paula would have liked it.

HANK: What did you learn about yourself writing Pushing Up Daisies--and how did that change your writing of The Big Dirt Nap?

RO: I learned the writing doesn't have to be perfect the first or even the second time around. Just get the story down - you'll change it again later anyway.

HANK: Did BDN surprise you?

RO: It surprised me because I thought I had written The End at least twice before the story really ended. Unfortunately that meant I held on to the manuscript a little longer than my editor would have liked, but when she finally got it, she forgave me.

HANK: Ah, we can't resist. Tell us a little about it.

RO: In The Big Dirt Nap Paula's been invited to join her friend Lucy at a Connecticut hotel for some r&r and a bit of work - Lucy's researching a story and Paula has wangled a writing gig covering the imminent blooming of a rare corpse flower on display at the hotel. But when Lucy fails to show and a would-be suitor is found dead on the hotel's loading dock, the weekend junket turns into a wild and funny ride involving ersatz native Americans, Ukrainian mobsters, Harley Hogites and a group of college kids who know how to party. I had a lot of fun writing it.

HANK: Your promotion schedule is--beyond the scope of any mortal human. How do you do it? And--besides the Cheerios you keep with you at all times--what advice would you give us about touring?

RO: My husband says I have more energy than the average 12 yr old boy...and the diet red bull helps.

HANK: Yuck. Not a fan of Red Bull. But that's another story. But in every city...you do a million things!

RO: I just hate to travel someplace and only do one thing! And whenever possible I like to balance the retail gigs with library events. Yes, it's ultimately about selling, but the library gigs are frequently filled with aspiring writers and it's great to have the writing conversation instead of just yammering on about me, me and the wonderfulness of me! Touring advice - take it seriously, but don't take it seriously.

HANK: So even when it's not SRO? (Though we know it usually is..)

RO: Even if just one person shows up, she took the time to come to see me. That's awesome, I LOVE her! And she deserves my best. But don't freak if you don't sell a lot of books.

HANK: Your wonderful husband has lots of publishing experience, to put it mildly. What advice did he give you--any that changed your life?

RO: He is wonderful, isn't he?

HANK: Yes, stellar. And really really smart. Does he travel with you?

RO: He just drove me through the pouring rain for an event at the New Haven Free Library. What a sweetie.

Okay...when I first got my book deal I was dismayed to learn that the book wouldn't be coming out for almost 2 years. Bruce helped me to be patient and to use that time well. He also told me that the business is all about relationships. He recently celebrated a big birthday and the room was filled with people he'd known for years and at least a dozen people he'd mentored early in their careers who still loved him.

HANK: The mystery community is such a wonderful place. Can you--believe all that's happened?

RO: I really can't. Sometimes I look at my own schedule and think "you're doing what?? where?? with whom??" If I had any sense I'd be nervous but I've met so many great people, it's really fun. The only downside is that it's cut into my reading time...I don't have the time to read everyone else's books. I leave soon for a 9 day west coast swing - Phoenix, LA, San Diego, San Francisco. In the past for a trip that long I'd have taken three books, but now it's just one. (I'm bringing Lethal Legacy by Linda Fairstein.) Wish me luck, and btw, please check my schedule at http://www.rosemaryharris.com/ to see if I'm visiting a bookstore near you!)

Come say hi to Ro--and wish her well as her journey continues! She's president of New England Sisters in Crime; a Master Gardener (with special expertise in shade); a connoisseur of food, wine, movies and fashion; shockingly well-read and as hilarious as anyone has ever been. And finally, she's a loving and true friend. Yo, Ro. You GO!

Sophomore Slump?..never heard of it.

Ro: There are certain things I don't even like to say, for fear that saying them will make them happen. Like...well...use your imagination..certain diseases, for example, unhappy altercations between cars and men walking dogs late at night. You get the picture.

On a far less tragic, but still unhappy, note is one expression a new writer can't seem to get away from - Sophomore Slump. I'd heard of it for years, even before I started writing. One publisher I know went so far as to say that publishers should bind a blank book (for number two) and then just leapfrog ahead to number three. I can tell you that wasn't a very encouraging conversation since I'd just spent the best part of a year banging out book two in my Dirty Business mystery series.

I guess there's some truth to the myth of the Sophomore Slump...many writers spend ten years or more polishing their first books and are then expected to push out number two in record time - generally one year if they're mystery writers.

Needless to say, I was determined not to fall victim to the dreaded SS. It goes without saying that I tried to write the best book I could. I held on to that manuscript until the bitter end, rewriting and revising until my normally calm and gentle editor pried it from my bony fingers with a look that told me it was now or never. We agonized over the title, the cover, the different PMS colors for the cover, the ARCs. Everything that went smoothly for book one was more of an issue for book two.

Was Sophomore Slump a self-fulfilling prophecy? Did things screw up because people expected them to screw up?

Time will tell for The Big Dirt Nap. My pub. date is next week, and I've already had a pre-launch party to benefit the Chalula Community library, which my husband and I helped to found. (At the legendary Friar's Club in New York...went well, thank you.) Kirkus, PW and (yippee!) Crimespree have all given me good reviews. So, so far, so good...

Any words of wisdom or war stories from the rest of you seasoned travellers?

ROBERTA: Ro, you've done everything you can. Now let it go and move on. And enjoy the launch! I did have a sophomore slump and lived to survive it:). Although I loved a lot of things about my second book, A BURIED LIE, I lost patience with working on it at the end. The research was impeccable (I paid to play in an LPGA pro-am tournament), the characters developed nicely, but the plot had holes. Big ones. I think I learned a lesson on that one--at any rate, my sweet husband reminds me of it when I'm tempted to rush another ending.
And yes, many writers find writing the second book to be very different from the first. With that first one, there was no deadline, no editor, no real audience in mind. But for the Big Dirt Nap, let's all enjoy the party!

RHYS: I don't think it has much to do with the quality of the book, Rosemary. Collectors buy first in series, especially signed. People try a new series and some decide it's not right for them. The second is often not accompanied by the buzz of the first book. Having said that, the numbers went up on the second book in all my series. So think positively.

JAN: My second book, A Confidential Source, was the most successful, but then again, it was launched as first in a series, (a few name changes but initially written as a sequeal to Final Copy). So I think Rhys is right. It's not in the writing so much as the buzz. You're awesome at generating buzz, Ro, seemingly tireless in promotion. If anyone shouldn't second guess herself, it's you!! Congratulations. I predict another success!

HANK: In college, I gained five pounds my sophomore year. That was also the year I decided going to class wasn't that important. Now that's slump. That's--falling off the chair.
I loved writing my book 2, Face Time. You know why? I had learned so much in the writing and revisions of Prime Time that I wanted to see if I could put it to use. For instance, PT was 723 pages when the first draft was finished! And I had to edit it to 325. That was one of the most educational experiences I've ever had. I learned my crutch words, my weaknesses, my digressions. That sometimes I wasn't that funny. I learned it was all about advancing the plot. Face Time, when I typed The End of the first draft? Bingo. 325 pages.

RO: I have a great group of blog sisters to learn from! Anybody remember that song from Damn Yankees...A Little Brains, A Little Talent? I shall try to employ both - and not gain five pounds!

Come back on Wednesday to meet this week's guest blogger, Joanna Campbell Slan who writes the Kiki Lowenstein Scrapbooking mysteries

On Libraries

" My library was dukedom enough " The Tempest

Brooklyn Public Library, Grand Army Plaza

RO: Anyone who knows me, knows how bullish I am on libraries. Perhaps it was all those days spent in the children's section at the Clarendon Branch of the Brooklyn Public library, before I graduated to the temple of knowledge at the library's Grand Army Plaza branch.

When I was in the first grade, I was a transfer student from a Catholic school in my former neighborhood (two months and I still have the scars..but that's another blog.) My name was put at the very bottom of a large chart in my classroom. Stickers were put next to our names for every book we read that year. Maybe there was a prize, I don't remember, but for me it was the honor - and I had some catching up to do. I wanted to have the most little stickies and be known as the best..even though I was the new kid. (Hank...how's that for competitive?)

I haunted the library and the librarian kept them coming..biographies, horse books, dog books, children's classics. I did eventually have the most stickies and more importantly, a love for reading that continues today.

This weekend I'll be in Denver for the MidWinter meeting of the American Library Association; I'll be spending one day at the St. Martin's booth and the other helping out at the Bouchercon booth.(If you're there, stop by,say hello, pick of an ARC of The Big Dirt Nap and some snazzy Jungle Red bookmarks.)

Librarians today can be a mystery writer's best friends. They don't care how big your marketing budget is, or how many days it's been since your pub. date. All they care about is that you've written a good book and are willing to visit their libraries. I've visited dozens in the last year and didn't do one event at a Barnes & Noble (not that I wouldn't, if you're out there..;-)

Anyway, on Wednesday Jane Murphy from the Westport, CT Public Library will be guestblogging here. She's one of the organizers of a new mystery event being held in Connecticut this April, Murder203, http://www.murder203.com Come back to see what Jane has to say, and in the meantime, how about telling us some of your best library experiences?

JAN: I loved bringing my kids to the library when they were little. The Westwood Library had (has) a terrific children's room and in the summer used to award the kids leaves to put on the tree mural for every book they read. My kids developed a love of reading that endured.
But most of all the library is what gives me the strongest sense of community. It's sort of like the Cheers bar -- where everyone knows your name.

ROBERTA: I spent a ton of time at my hometown library in Berkeley Heights NJ when I was a kid. We all hauled home stacks of books and then disappeared into our rooms to read. Last month, I was elected to the library board in my current home town. (My husband was the chair for eight years so I believe this could be a case of political nepotism...) On election night, we had a huge disappointment when the bond for major renovations was voted down by a slim margin. Some people--not many but enough--think we don't need libraries these days because we have the Internet. That sounds crazy to me!

RO: That's because the internet is so reliable and 100% accurate, right? (I'm joking, of course...)

RHYS: The public library was my first big adventure. It was the first place I was allowed to go alone in the evenings in my teens. And the first time I was allowed to prowl the adult section, unsupervised (yes, I did take a peek at Lady Chatterly and similar items, I guess, but I also discovered Dorothy Sayers, and all those wonderful Golden Age mystery writers). I spent so long there that my father was convinced I went there to meet a boy--he was very protective. At that stage in my life, twelve or thirteen, the books were more enticing than any boy.
Since being a writer I have done library events all over the country and love connecting with readers and librarians.

HALLIE: I remember getting my first library card, and reading a gazillion biographies (Clara Barton, George Gershwin, Marie Curie...) and all the Betsy, Tacy and Tib books. They didn't ALLOW children in the adult section back then, and what I remember is the momentous day when I reached whatever age it was that I could go upstairs and breathe the rarified air up there. I still don't know why they had that rule. Maybe to keep the noise down upstairs, or maybe to protect our fragile minds from the muck of Faulkner and Lawrence.
A little silver lining of the downturn in the book business has been a boom in library use. I love mine. YAY MILTON LIBRARY. And they're about to reopen a brand new library in a few months.

HANK: Yay NEWTON LIBRARY! It's beautiful, welcoming, relaxed, and the folks there are infinitely knowledgeable. And of course the Boston Public Library is the elegant lady of the city. Gorgeous, full of riches and full of wonderful secrets. I adore it.

RO: I just found out that I'll be doing an event there this March...I'm so honored to have been asked.

HANK: When I was growing up, waaaay in the exurbs, the nearest library was in my school. I treasured my library card, and somehow it made me feel like a part of something. I read the encylclopedia, volume by volume, sitting in that library. All those blue biographies when I was like, eight: Clara Barton, Girl Nurse? Or Dorothea Dix, Girl of the Streets? Something like that? ('Girl of the streets' doesnt sound exactly right...but you know what I mean.) On the school bus, I would lug home the limit, ten books. And not let my sisters touch them.
And you had to be really really really quiet. Scary quiet. Now, chatting with librarians, I know they're trying to change their image from stern disciplinarians into being wonderful guides through a fantastic new world. Maybe they need--superhero uniforms?

RO: Yes..all those biographies...Booker T. Washington and Luther Burbank were two that I remember reading when I was little...and something about someone who took care of lepers! (I was a serious kid..) Wonder what bios kids are reading today? Anybody know?