A Mixed Bag of What? From Jess and Shannon

What We Wished We Knew Then

This is Jess

HANK PHILLIPPI RYAN: Do you know Jess Lourey and Shannon Baker? If I had a million hours, I could not begin to list the superlatives that they deserve. Hilarious, first, and talented. And loving, and thoughtful, and spiritual, and authentic and genuine.

I was trying to think of a funny thing to say about them, some anecdote or experience to explain how fabulous they are, but it’s—well, Jess and I have criss-crossed the country together as part of MWA University (Hallie, too), have eaten ridiculous food and (sometimes) great wine, have taught and listened and commiserated and laughed and planned and plotted and shared the terribles and the fabulousness. Fabulousnesses.

And then along comes Shannon, who shares an editor with me—as well as an outlook and a joy and an enthusiasm to see what’s coming next.

This is Shannon

Their books are terrific.

And today, hurray, here they are on Jungle Red. And they are so fabulous, they wrote their own intro. At least—they thought they did.

THE INTRO THEY WROTE:

Today's guest post features thriller writers Jess Lourey (Salem's Cipher) and Shannon Baker (Stripped Bare), both of whose latest books hit shelves on September 6, 2016. They are embarking on their whirlwind, 30-day Lourey/Baker Double-booked Blog Tour in celebration of their dual release date. Today, they’re joining Jungle Red Writers to share what they wished they knew way back when, in the land and time before they’d written and published 19 books between them.

Jess here. I wish I had known at age 18 that youth is its own beauty, and that 125 pounds is not fat no matter what the magazines tell you. I wish I had known in my 20s how great dating would become in my 40s (all the guys have jobs and vasectomies; I am now happily married, but the point remains). Even more important than those two tips, I wish I knew three very specific things about writing way back in 2003 when I was hand-mailing query letters (featuring licked stamps! remember when?) out into the world.

   1. Writing novels is a marathon, not a sprint. May Day, my first book, hit shelves in 2006 to some good reviews (notwithstanding Kirkus, who I swear keeps ellipses in business). Twelve novels later, ten of those traditionally published, and I’m still working my day job. I don’t think the awareness that building a writing career takes time would have changed anything for me because like most writers, I write for the love of the story, not the money. Still, I maybe wouldn’t have gotten so down on myself if I hadn’t expected I’d have made it big by at least my tenth book.

   2.   I wish I had known I would make lifelong friends by joining the crime fiction community. I might have jumped in this pond sooner if someone had told me how cool all the fish are. I have all sorts of theories about why mystery writers are the best human beings you’ll ever meet, but bottom line, writing novels has brought amazing people into my life who I’m lucky enough to call friends, including Shannon, Hank, and Hallie.

   3. Everyone thinks their book is crap at various times when writing it. (If this isn’t true, don’t tell me.) Write through that stage. It is the equivalent of me at age 12 (through 19), when I thought claw bangs, frosted lipstick, and pinned jeans were the way to go. Keep moving forward, in writing and in life. Things always get better.

Shannon, you’re working on your second series, which is earning rave reviews, and you’ve been in this business as long as I have, right? What pearls of wisdom do you have to share?

Shannon: First of all, what are pinned jeans? And secondly and more importantly, huge congratulations on your recent marriage. One thing I know now that I didn’t back then is that you can find the love of your life in your middling years and it’s even better than in your twenties.

HANK: Yay Yay Yay!

Shannon: Damnit, Jess. You went first and got all the good ones. But here’s my first turd of wisdom:

   1.  Know when to quit. That’s right. I have this little disaster I call Ashes of the Red Heifer. I started writing that sucker in 1997. It’s a great premise. The TV series, Dig, is based on the same ideas. But I didn’t have the craft to carry it off. I kept working on it, though. Every time I’d learn something new, I’d rewrite the doomed thing. It went through so many critique groups it became completely homogenized. At one point, a New York agent picked it up. But 9/11 hit and no one would touch it. I hate to admit I rewrote that for over 10 years and finally sold it to a nanopress. It is out of print and shouldn’t have ever been in print. To use a Biblical reference, you can’t put new wine into an old wine skin. Let it go and start something new.

   2.  Your journey is your own. If I could internalize this point, I’d be happier and wiser than I am now. Other writers are better, luckier, smarter, more successful, prettier, thinner, have more friends…. Do what you can, be who you are, and don’t worry about someone else’s path. The Desiderata says it best. (You remember all the hippies loved that in the 70’s, right? In my new series, Kate’s mother lives by it.)

“If you compare yourself with others, you may become vain and bitter;
for always there will be greater and lesser persons than yourself.”  Namaste.

.        3. I'll try to stay away from quoting ancients on this one. Again, this is a do as I say, not as I do kind of thing. Try to maintain a sane perspective on this writing gig. So much of the business is out of our control. One of my friends decided in the fourth grade that she wanted to be a novelist. She is in her 50’s and hasn’t published a novel, yet. She battles depression, literally, over this. She can’t make the markets yearn for her work or force a publisher to take her on. No one knows what makes one book a runaway bestseller and a better book languish. What’s the worst thing that can happen if you don’t hit that goal you’ve set for yourself? The sun will come up, your children will still be brats, sex will still feel great, and you keep writing books. It’s writing, people, not life.

Haha! Jess here.  That's me and Shannon for you, a mixed bag of wisdom, turds and sex.

What we wished we knew then ...  

HANK: Wait, wait, I hear you wrapping up. But yeah, what are pinned jeans.

JESS: Anyone out there know? 

Thank you for joining us today! I am giving away a Salem’s Cipher and Shannon is giving away a Stripped Bare. Tell us what you wished you knew when, writing-related or otherwise, or leave a comment for a chance to win.

And because we love you best of all, we’ve got more:

If you order Salem's Cipher before September 6, 2016, you are invited to forward your receipt to salemscipher@gmail.com to receive a Salem short story and to be automatically entered in a drawing to win a 50-book gift basket mailed to the winner's home.

If you order Stripped Bare before September 6, 2016, you are invited to forward your receipt to katefoxstrippedbare@gmail.com to receive a Kate Fox short story and be entered for a book gift basket mailed to your home.

You’re welcome to enter both contests.  

HANK:  Love to you both, too. Reds--instead of trying to match their advice--lets talk about pinned jeans. What they heck are they? Did you wear them? What's the clothing choice you most regret? Shoulder pads don't count.

Mine: The lavender linen hot pants suit (very conservative) I wore to a wedding in 1972. WHAT was I thinking?

Or okay…their advice is so great. DO you have any? 

A copy of my new DRIVE TIME to once lucky commenter.

*************

Jessica (Jess) Lourey is best known for her critically-acclaimed Murder-by-Month mysteries, which have earned multiple starred reviews from Library Journal and Booklist, the latter calling her writing "a splendid mix of humor and suspense." She is a tenured professor of creative writing and sociology, a recipient of The Loft's 2014 Excellence in Teaching fellowship, and leads interactive writing workshops all over the world. Salem’s Cipher, the first in her thrilling Witch Hunt Series, hits stores September 2016. You can find out more at www.jessicalourey.com, or find Jess on Facebook or Twitter

Shannon Baker writes the Kate Fox mystery series. Stripped Bare, the first in the series, features a sheriff in rural Nebraska and has been called Longmire meets The Good Wife. Baker also writes the Nora Abbott Mystery Series, a fast-paced mix of murder, environmental issues and Hopi Indians published by Midnight Ink. Baker was voted Rocky Mountain Fiction Writers’ 2104 Writer of the Year. She writes from the Colorado Rockies to the Nebraska Sandhills, the peaks of Flagstaff and the deserts of Tucson. Visit Shannon at www.Shannon-Baker.com

Pop on over to the Midnight Ink blog Monday as we continue the Lourey/Baker Double Booked Tour.

Killer Look? Killer Book!

HANK PHILLIPPI RYAN: It’s what we’re writing week! But I am bringing in a ringer.

Oh, yes, I am writing. On word number 42,280 of Untitled, and more about that soon.  And DRIVE TIME comes next, and then SAY NO MORE. Incredibly exciting.

But instead of hearing me moan about how I have changed the beginning of Untitled fifteen thousand times, and am certain I will never think of an actual title, let’s hear from a writer who is actually finished with her manuscript. And who had millions of readers waiting to get their little hands on it.

(In fact, you could be one of the first! Our storied guest will choose a lucky winner from the commenters!)

And with all her glory and all her awards and all her fans and all her sales and all her success—and all her generosity and unending good works—I was intrigued to learn what went on behind of the scenes of Linda Fairstein’s KILLER LOOK.

Who’d have thought? And--what do YOU think?

                                               

Piece de...Resistance

            By Linda Fairstein

Nothing delights me more than an invitation to return to the company of the divine ladies who are the Jungle Red Writers.  I know most of them, have signed books alongside many, and read them all.  The great graphic of this home page – those seven elegant headshots, highlighted by the bright red river of glossy nail polish – speaks volumes about their style.

What is style, after all?  It can be literary….and these ladies have that in spades.  And it can be fashionable…they’ve got that, too.  I can’t always describe it, but I think I know it when I see it.

I’ve been writing a series of crime novels for twenty years, featuring a New York City sex crimes prosecutor – Alex Cooper - and her tough NYPD detective boyfriend – Mike Chapman.  The 18^th book in the series, KILLER LOOK, debuts this week.  Throughout these two decades, Coop’s capers have taken an insider look at many of Manhattan’s landmark institutions, most of which have a dark underside.  I had her job for thirty years and know that fact well.  I was a prosecutor when a young violinist was killed backstage during a performance at the Metropolitan Opera House – the cultural center of the city.  I’ve never looked at Lincoln Center the same way since.

I’ve set murders in museums and libraries, on mysterious Governor’s Island and at the fabulous Botanical Gardens.  This time, I decided to take a look behind the scenes in the New York City fashion world – after all, we are America’s style capital, on a par with Paris and Rome, Milan and London. 

Would it surprise you to know that I met with a bit of resistance from my great friends at Dutton?  

Well, it spooked me a bit.  

The one square mile of Manhattan that is known as the Garment District has existed for more than 150 years.  For a century, most of America’s mass-produced clothing was manufactured right there, until the very recent outsourcing of the work to foreign markets with cheap labor.

The district has a fascinating history.  I had long thought it established itself when sewing machines made mass production possible…..grounded in the making of uniforms, blue and gray, for the Civil War.  I found out doing research that the actual beginnings of the industry was pre-War – that it was cheaper for slave plantation owners to ship their cotton to New York to have uniforms made for their slaves.  (There is always a dark underside, just like I said).

I’ve never had a book theme ‘approved’ by the editorial team.  What happened this time?  Well, as my JRW friends know, more mysteries are read by women than by men, in general.  I count on my women readers, but the publishing crew knows that I’m fortunate enough to have a good male following, too (which I credit to both Mike Chapman – my tough NYPD cop and his smart mouth – and to my procedural bent, writing about the investigations and forensics that I actually did in my old job).

Would I really lose my guys in the name of fashion?

I love following fashion.  I’ve never been to the big shows, never bought haute couture (and did you know that term is regulated in France by the government? I didn’t).  But I do love to shop and I do love to eyeball and admire great style.

The fix was easy.  Instead of murdering a model or making the book all about the slender girls on the runway, I got close enough to learn that the business side of fashion is terrifically cut-throat and provides plenty of motives to murder.  No spoiler – my victim is an American icon – a guy who went from rags to riches by creating an iconic American fashion business (think of a collared t-shirt with a wolf’s head where that little polo pony now sits).

I’m thinking that one of the victims in the story is bleeding Jungle Red by the end of the novel - is that okay?  And while we are at it, do you have a favorite KILLER LOOK?

HANK: Oh, great question! And that depends. I may have more black jackets than anyone here.  And I just scored some pretty darned great pink Prada heels.  But if I’m home, writing? I’m in my (black) killer sweatpants.

How about you, Reds? And don’t forget—the fabulous Linda is choosing a winner of KILLER LOOK from the commenters!

Linda Fairstein is the New York Times bestselling author of KILLER LOOK, the 18^th book in the Alex Cooper series of crime novels.  For thirty years, Fairstein was a prosecutor in the Manhattan DA’s Office, where she led the country’s pioneering Special Victims Unit.

Christmas Roll Call!

HANK PHILLIPPI RYAN:  We hope you are cozy with loved ones today...happy and merry and surrounded by crumpled-up wrapping paper and guzzling champagne. Or whatever makes you happy!

I am here in Boston, where it feels more like March than December. Jonathan and I are unwrapping gifts (though it’s tough to unwrap two yet-to-be-reupholstered armchairs, but we will imagine), and we'll have a lovely brunch. BACON! Then I'll work on revisions for a while. And then--we are going to Star Wars!

How about you? Hallie, in Milton, Massachusetts? 

HALLIE EPHRON: Merry Christmas! We’re home with a houseful. Two daughters, a son-in-law, and an energetic two-year-old who comes tiptoeing into our bedroom to wake us up so her parents get a morning or two to sleep in. We’re going make jelly donuts for Christmas breakfast. Filled with seedless raspberry jam. I’ll let you know how they turn out.

Debs? In Texas.

DEBORAH CROMBIE: Home, happily. Daughter and son-in-law over for prezzies and breakfast (Trader Joe's cinnamon rolls,  yum.) Later, our friend Gigi will come over, too, and we are cooking prime rib and Jamie Oliver's Yorkshire puddings. And it's balmy here--it's feels like Florida! We may have our Christmas cocoa on the patio. And then I'll see who I can talk into watching Love Actually:-)

Rhys, in California.

RHYS BOWEN: It's rainy so no going on our usual Christmas hike! We have everyone descending on us later today, so we'll have 9 for dinner tonight and then the other 5 arrive tomorrow. So we're putting off our big Christmas dinner until they all get here on Boxing Day, as we still call it. Tonight a more sophisticated meal with a variation on coq au vin followed by a light dessert of berries in liqueur.  So only three of us for breakfast and one is gluten free and lactose intolerant, so eggs and smoked salmon will have to do.

Wishing everyone a joyous and peaceful day!

Lucy, in Florida.

LUCY BURDETTE: We are at home in Key West, with the kids and their spouses and one brother visiting. I'm making dinner--stuffed shells in homemade (low-sodium) sauce, nice bread, a salad, Christmas cookies, and homemade ice cream I hope! I believe we are having 12 people--yikes!

It's been quite hot here so it doesn't really feel like Christmas. But it will! Merry Christmas Reds and red readers!

Susan, in Brooklyn— who gave us the scoop last night and will check in later today!)

SUSAN ELIA MACNEAL: Right now it's a Christmas battle with Kiddo. "How about four?" he asks, meaning waking us up at four a.m. tomorrow morning.

"How about eight?" we counter. 

"Five?" 

"Six." 

"OK, six. My not waking you up until six will be my Christmas present to you guys."

"And we need coffee first."

"If I let you have coffee first tomorrow, can I open one of the presents tonight?"

END SCENE

HANK: Okay, dear Susan. I remember it well. Let us know how that goes… Now to  Julia, in Maine:

JULIA SPENCER-FLEMING: We've seen what Santa's brought and opened out presents from each other, and now we're bustling around before our guests arrive. Youngest is clearing away presents and writing out placecards, The Boy is setting up folding tables and chairs, the Smithie is laying out the good china and sterling and Ross and I are cooking, cooking, cooking! We're having a small-for-us gathering this year - only 18 guests. After a dinner of roast beef and turkey, our more musical friends will break out their instruments and we'll play and sing.

Yes, Ross and I are, in actuality, Mr. and Mrs. Fezziwig. Merry Christmas to you all!

HANK PHILLIPPI RYAN:  So how about you, dear Reds? Have you checked the past few days blogs for our winners? And just tell us what you’re up to today—and even simply where you are—and you’ll be entered to win the Hank book of your choice.

We love you all madly!