My evolution as a Mystery Writer by Charlene D’Avanzo

  
LUCY BURDETTE: We love stories on this blog about finding your way, and struggles that turn into something great and unexpected, because lord knows, we've all been there. And I'm super-excited to host Charlene today, because she was one of our Seascape Escape to Write students a few years ago. And now she has a book birthday to celebrate--Hooray! Welcome Charlene! 
CHARLENE D'AVANZO: Five years ago, I’d only written science papers with lots of equations and formulas—never one word of fiction. Then I experienced a eureka moment. The upshot was that I had to transform myself and become a mystery writer.

This is the God’s truth. I walked into an auditorium to listen to a famous climate researcher and came out knowing I’d write a mystery featuring a female scientist. She’d be menaced by climate deniers, like the researcher I heard. She’d also be a marine scientist and avid sea kayaker who lived on the Maine coast. You can guess why.

Oh, and this oceanographer would suffer from terrible seasickness. Like I do.

Investigate personal transformation and you find lots of “re” words—“reinvention”, “reboot”, “renewal”.  Maybe it’s because I’m an ecologist, but I prefer “evolution”, the idea that you build on what you’ve got. Whales, for instance, didn’t just appear in the ocean fifty-plus million years ago. They evolved from land animals that messed around in shallow water with paddle-like hands and feet.

Likewise, I wasn’t a mystery author five years ago, but I understood a thing or two about writing for publication. What I knew to my core will be familiar to any author.  Writing—is extraordinarily hard work, means rewriting and rewriting, and requires persistence and discipline. Also, I knew that I absolutely needed a community of others to work with and learn from. (Sisters in Crime has been my savior).

Of course, there’s more. Alan Alda said it best, I think.

You have to leave the city of your comfort and go into the wilderness of your intuition. You can't get there by bus, only by hard work and risk and by not quite knowing what you're doing …Despite my scientist colleagues’ “you’re nuts” response, I did trust my eureka-moment intuition. Clearly, the endeavor was risky; I might never find a publisher or agent. (Of course, at first I didn’t know writers had agents). I had to step back from my successful career and accept that I was floundering and it was okay.

Being all right with “not quite knowing what you’re doing” requires humility and ability to welcome critique. Early on, I was extremely fortunate to find the best mystery writing workshop leaders on this good earth: Roberta and Hallie. At the SeaScape Writers Retreat both delivered right-on critique with humor and tact. I ate it up. 
Here’s an example. One of my goals is to unveil the mysterious world of scientists for my readers.  I’d overdone accessibility in an early draft and Mara, my protagonist, came off like a love-sick teenager. Roberta used those very words. Ouch, but great input!  In her reasoned and astute way, Roberta explained how I might help readers relate to and care about Mara. She jumped me to the next level of my evolution. I haven’t looked back.

Lucy/Roberta: Ouch indeed! So glad you hung in there Charlene! Questions for our new mystery writer?

Charlene D'Avanzo is a marine ecologist, emeritus professor at Hampshire College, and award winning environmental educator. In 2015 she was awarded Mystery Writers of America's McCloy award for new writers. Her short stories are published in several anthologies including the eco-fiction collection "Winds of Change". Charlene lives on Little John Island in Yarmouth, Maine. You can pre-order Cold Blood, Hot Sea right here. 

 

Clea Simon

JAN BROGAN: Clea Simon is the author of 10 mysteries and three nonfiction books.  Her latest mysteries are “Grey Expectations” (Severn House), featuring the feline ghost Mr. Grey, and the Booklist-starred “Cats Can’t Shoot” (Poisoned Pen), which hosts several dogs as well as the curmudgeonly tabby Wallis. She, her husband Jon, and their tuxedo cat Musetta live in Somerville, Mass., where Clea and Musetta have taken to watching the birds together, sometimes with bad intent.   Please welcome her to Jungle Red! 




CLEA SIMON:  I’m an animal lover. And as they are in my writing, critters of one sort or another are essential to my life. Even, sometimes, ghost pets. Animals. I love them so much I can’t let them go. So you wouldn’t think I’d be throwing plates at critter, would you? Attempting to kill one, in cold blood?

What’s worse, there were witnesses. But I can explain.

To start with, I live in the city. Yes, we now have a little yard and I’ve gotten a bit obsessive about my bird feeder, doing my best to lure the cardinals and finches and discourage the ravenous sparrows (aka “pigbirds”) with every combination of seed and suet available. And I’m enough of a cat person that I keep up on the news of coyotes (there’s supposedly a pack in the woods of nearby Mt. Auburn Cemetary) and those nasty, weaselly fishers (spotted only one town farther out!) that are reclaiming their territory. But I’ve got an indie coffeehouse a five minute walk away, and two world-class bookstores within 20. There are buses and subways, and the sounds of sirens. I like it that way. It feels civilized.

So imagine my surprise when a friend dropped by and said, “You know, you’ve got a wild turkey at the end of your street.” I was wearing socks, no shoes, when I opened the door and I immediately ran out to see. Sure enough, a young male (we think) was two doors down, in a neighbor’s driveway, clucking. I ran back to alert Jon and we watched, entranced until we realized that our presence was probably keeping him in that driveway – and that he was likely clucking his distress. And then, being animal lovers, we walked away. We let him be.

Jon returned the favor only four days later, calling to me as he left for work. “Turkey!” He yelled. “On the shed!” Sure enough, the young male – we’re assuming for argument’s sake it was the same bird – was perched on our little tool shed. I watched him, entranced, as he sat, thinking whatever it is that birds think. My neighbor was watching too, and we did the miming thing (“Turkey!”) and waved. Turkey!

All was fine, and I went to get my coffee. And that’s when it happened. The turkey, spurred on by whatever motivates these birds, hopped into my yard. I ran for the camera and caught him pecking at our tiny bit of grass. I thought about going outside, about opening a gate. After all, it was probably easier to hop down into a fenced yard than to hop out of one. And I am, as I may have said, an animal lover. But then the turkey spread his wings and with a few flaps elevated himself to the top of our fence, right by the trellis where I have been training a sweet autumn clematis in hope of September blossoms. Once again, I was in awe.

And then he started eating. No, not eating. Grabbing big beakfuls of leaves and pulling them off, dropping half of them and denuding the young plant. Pulling it off the trellis. And I lost it. Still in my nightshirt, I ran out to our back deck and clapped loudly. Hey, it works with the cat. But the turkey only stared at me, as if to say, “Hey, lady, what’s your problem.” I yelled and clapped some more. No response. More leaves gone.

Finally, I picked up the drainage plate from an empty planter and winged it at him. It fell short – and shattered, our grass not being that thick. And that’s when I realized that I was standing on the deck, in my nightie, screaming bloody murder at a bird. I couldn’t tell if my neighbor was amused or appalled, he dropped his curtain so quickly, but I was forced to confront the dark truth at the bottom of my soul. I am an animal lover. But when forced to defend my clematis, I just may be capable of murder.

JAN: Clea's book, as well as all Severn House mysteries are now available on ebook atAmazon, Kobo, Barnes&Noble, and the Book Depository. You can like Severn House at  http://www.facebook.com/severnhouse
And you can follow at: @severnhouse
Clea will be stopping by to answer your questions about mysteries, animals, or animal mysteries. For more info on her books check out her site at http://www.cleasimon.com