MEANS, MOTIVE, AND OPPORTUNITY by Diane Vallere

Jenn McKinlay: One of my favorite cozy mystery authors is here today! The amazing Diane Vallere and she is going to get us all clear eyed and motivated and tell us all about her latest Samantha Kidd Mystery -- RANCH DRESSING! If you read yesterday's post, you know this is exactly what I needed to read today. Take it away, Diane!

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Diane Vallere: The first time I worked with a professional editor, she asked me about my character’s motivation. “What does she want?” she asked. 

“It’s a mystery,” I replied as if the answer to her question was obvious. “She wants to find the killer.” (The “duh” was implied.)

I am ashamed to admit that it took more than that one book to understand what she meant. Oh, sure, I quickly latched on to a fear of failure, and how my character was afraid to not succeed. And that carried me through a book or two, while my character succeeded in exposing the killer but failed at life, learning that failure was sometimes necessary for growth. It’s not a bad lesson to learn, but after a few books, it turns out, our readers actually want to see our characters succeed at life too!

Think about it. Life throws daily challenges at us. Some we win, and some we…keep trying to win. We only give up on the things that aren’t important enough to keep us motivated. But when there’s something we want—which may, by the way, be finishing our manuscript or to losing ten pounds or finally understanding how to style our naturally curly hair (ahem)—that motivation works like a fresh battery to keep us plowing forward even when things get tough. 

Ever get a great idea, something you just know will change your life? You just need to learn how build a bookcase/make fresh bread/change your sparkplugs/cut your own hair/become fluent in French/join a professional society/exercise for an hour each day. And you start out with the best of intentions, you buy the best supplies/ingredients, you pay your dues, you sign up for Duolingo. You sandwich your new habit between existing ones like James Clear suggests in Atomic Habits. You stick to your new routine because it’s important.

Until one day, it’s not. 

Your bookcase is partially built, you’ve been feeding sourdough starter for a month the only thing you make is a sourdough pancake. Your hair is lopsided, and you still don’t know the difference between savoir and connaître. It’s not because you’re lazy, or too old to learn, or the principles of chemistry chose to boycott your sourdough starter, it’s because you lost your motivation. None of these things mattered enough to power you toward your ultimate goals. 

I don’t know about you, but my past is littered with partially finished projects that never got off the ground. (Case in point: there’s a partially re-rooted Barbie head sitting next to my desk as we speak.) But I find the time to write. And when I’m not writing, I can work on creative graphics for hours without ever realizing time has passed. Research is like a Vitamin B shot that powers me when I need a pick-me-up. Most of us never worked as hard as we do on the thing we love to do, to the extent that it doesn’t feel like work.   

In RANCH DRESSING, that same character who feared failure, who needed a few books to discover her motivation, goes on a trip to a dude ranch that her father-in-law is thinking of buying. She has no interest in the cowboy life, or western wear, or anything more than the Louis L’Amour books she packed, but the one thing Samantha Kidd cares about is solving other people’s problems. So when she’s relegated to the sidelines—just relax, read your book, we’ll handle this—her desire to help out becomes more than a desire, it becomes a mandate. The more she’s told not to get involved, the more she must. She can’t help herself—she’s that motivated. 

What about you, Reds? What projects have you let languish on the shelf and what keeps you motivated? 

DIANE’S BIO & SOCIAL MEDIA LINKS:

National bestselling author Diane Vallere writes funny and fashionable character-based mysteries. After two decades in luxury retailing, she traded fashion accessories for accessories to murder. As past president of the national Sisters in Crime organization, she edited the Agatha-Award-winning essay collection PROMOPHOBIA: Taking the Mystery out of Promoting Crime Fiction. Diane started her own detective agency at age ten and has maintained a passion for shoes, clues, and clothes ever since.

SOCIAL MEDIA HANDLES:

FB: https://facebook.com/dianevallereauthor

IG: https://instagram.com/dianevallere

YT: https://youtube.com/dianevallere

Website: https://dianevallere.com

RANCH DRESSING BLURB:

When fashionista Samantha Kidd’s father-in-law arranges a week on the dude ranch he’s aiming to buy, Samantha preps for blue skies and clean living. But all too soon she learns life on the ranch is anything but calm. When the owner is found dead inside one of the stables, all signs point to murder.

As Samantha wrangles clue after clue, she smells something rotten—and it’s not manure. In her quest for the truth, she encounters quirky cowhands, brazen barrel racers, and suspicious horseplay—not to mention a social paradigm straight from the eighteen hundreds. 

Can Samantha bring justice to the wild west of eastern New Jersey, or will a renegade ranch dweller get away with murder?

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ENTER THE GIVEAWAY

PREORDER GIVEAWAY: https://www.dianevallere.com/ranch-dressing-preorder-contest

1. Preorder RANCH DRESSSING

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Life’s Playlist by Holly West

JENN McKINLAY: I love the cover of this book SO much! Yes, because I was a tween of the 80's and a total fan of the Go Go's. Heck, I wanted to be one of the Go Go's! Holly West is our guest today and she's talking about what transports us. Welcome, Holly.

Holly West: Many things have the power to transport us to other times and places. Scent, for example. One whiff of Polo by Ralph Lauren and I’m walking through my high school’s corridors, keeping an eye out for my latest crush (thankfully, Polo isn’t on trend these days so those whiffs are few and far between). 

Books and movies, too. The mere mention of Judy Blume or Laura Ingalls Wilder takes me back to my childhood bedroom, where I spent untold hours reading and re-reading books. And films like “Bob Roberts,” “Pulp Fiction,” and “The Crying Game” remind me of my twenties, when I was single and broke and spent every weekend in the bargain matinee at the Beverly Connection in Los Angeles.

But music, I’ve found, is the ultimate time machine. I’ve already dated myself, so I don’t mind telling you that I recently turned fifty. As part of the celebrations, I compiled a playlist of songs representing all of the seasons of my life. It was a long list, spanning not only the decades I’ve lived through myself but those of my grandparents and parents since their musical preferences comprised much of the soundtrack of my earliest years. I can’t listen to Johnny Cash, Patsy Cline, Loretta Lynn, or Hank Williams without thinking of my grandparents—they instilled in me an abiding love for twangy country music, as did my mother for the cheerful Broadway musicals of the 60s.

I loved music from an early age and dreamed of being a singer when I grew up (a dream I haven’t quite let go of, by the way). Friday nights were dedicated to the Donny & Marie Show, before I understood that Donny’s version of rock ‘n’ roll bore as little resemblance to the real thing as Marie’s rendition of country did. Still, I loved them. Next came the Bee Gees, Rick Springfield (oh, how I wanted to be Jessie’s girl), and Journey, all of whom I still love, followed by that vast swath of music we call “80s.”

My brother, who works in marketing and PR, told me that supermarkets play 80s music now because that’s the generation—my generation—that’s doing the shopping. And he’s right. I can’t go into Ralph’s without hearing Madonna, Duran Duran, the Go-Go’s or The Cure. There I am, standing in the checkout line, when Whitney Houston comes on the sound system singing “How Will I Know,” reminding me of my senior prom date, who, years later, came out to me at a Mexican restaurant in our hometown.

Not so long ago, supermarkets were playing Fleetwood Mac, Jackson Browne, and the Eagles—songs I knew, but were firmly classified as “before my time.” I suppose Rihanna, Lady Gaga, and Pitbull will sing the next wave of supermarket hits. Even, perhaps, cleaned up radio re-mixes by Post Malone or Cardi-B. That’s when I’ll know I’m really old.

On a side note, one of the best things about living in the digital age is having all the music we want at our fingertips. Kids today will never know the exhilaration—and sometimes, the heartbreak—of having a cassette recorder at the ready, waiting for a song to come on the radio and pressing record at just the right moment. In those days, every recording had Casey Kasem’s voice floating over the song’s opening bars (if you were quick enough to catch those opening bars at all).

Much like books, the music we embrace in our youth becomes an integral part of who we are. I keep semi-current with today’s music and enjoy much of it, but none of it will touch me the way that early music did. I’m no expert in these matters, but it seems that as we get older, we lose our tendency to internalize external things like music. We’re able to enjoy and appreciate it, but it doesn’t have the same impact. We’re older now, and mostly, wiser, with our hearts steeled against every sentimental love song.

Okay, so Lady Gaga’s and Bradley Cooper’s live performance of “Shallow” at the Grammy Awards touched me, but that’s something else entirely. Or maybe, it’s not. Maybe I’m not the hardened old lady I think I am after all.

What about you, Reds and Readers, what music transports you?

***

Holly West is the Anthony Award-nominated author of the Mistress of Fortune historical mystery series. Her debut, Mistress of Fortune, was nominated for the Left Coast Crime Rosebud Award for Best First Novel. Her short fiction has appeared online and in numerous anthologies, and her latest story, “The Best Laid Plans,” appears in Florida Happens, the 2018 Bouchercon anthology. She’s also the editor of Murder-A-Go-Go’s, a crime fiction anthology inspired by the music of the Go-Go’s. Visit hollywest.com for more info.

On Your Own or In A Group? By Diane Vallere

JENN McKINLAY: One of my very favorite people to see at conferences, partly to see what she's wearing, but mostly because I adore this mid-century modern gal is Diane Vallere! She's here to chat with us about collaboration, and I'm sure by the end of the blog you will adore her as much as I do if you don't already! Take it, Diane!

DIANE VALLERE: Thank you so much for hosting me on Jungle Red! (and guess what? The phrase “Jungle Red” appears in LOVER COME HACK. #tribute!) 

There are two types of people in this world: those who work well with others and those who don’t. That’s not to say people don’t try to work together, or always choose to do everything themselves, but some people are just not cut out for collaboration. 

Diane repaints her kitchen!

Take me, for example. With an ever-growing to-do list, a mountain of projects in my head and on paper, and an awareness that I can only do so many things (well) at a time, I would love to have help. Yet when push comes to shove, my first thought is: I know what I want, and I can do it faster myself. 

This may not be the healthiest attitude. 

There was one time that I wanted to redo the kitchen. I waited until I had a weekend alone and took on the task by myself. Was it fun? Yep. Did I enjoy the alone time to work (and break) at my own pace? You betcha.

And then there are the times I do my own taxes. Are they fun? Heck to the no. Yet I’ve done them more than once. 

In defense of anyone who has ever thought it would be faster/easier/less hassle to take on one additional project themselves, I’ll point out that it isn’t that we think others are less qualified. In most cases, we know the opposite is likely true. And as I sit here thinking about the subject, and the countless times I’ve asked the universe for help while plowing through my list, I would go so far as to say it’s not a quality of work thing, or a saving-money-paying-people thing, but a trust thing. In that if I take a project on myself, I trust that it’ll get done. 

Oh, but there are so many flaws to this logic!

Diane's Kitchen Drawers! 

You fellow do-it-all-yourselfers out there: have you ever felt that twinge of jealousy when you saw what a professional could do versus your own efforts? Have you ever banged your head against the table trying to figure out something that wasn’t second nature? Have you ever needed—yes, I said needed—a glass of wine after finishing something simply to celebrate the fact that you never have to tackle that particular project again? 

The true test: have you ever turned down an offer of help because you were too scared of what it would mean to accept it? 

And you ask-for-help-all-the-time folks: does it stress you out to ask? Do you feel indebted to those who help you? Is there a bigger, grand karmic swap meet where you feel like it all evens out in the end? Inquiring minds want to know. 

I live in awe of the people who can ask and receive help. Not by manipulating with guilt or paying mass amounts of money, but simply by with, “hey, can you help me with this?” It seems like a nice way to live. Maybe one of these days I’ll try it. 

In LOVER COME HACK, Madison Night finds herself collaborating with a friend. And Madison, to date, has been a DIY kind of person. The collaboration brings up all sorts of issues in Madison’s personal fiber, ending in some not-particularly-desired outcome. 

So, how about you, Reds and Readers, can you ask for help or are you a do it aloner? 

About LOVER COME HACK: 

After a falling out with a friend flips interior decorator Madison Night’s world inside out, she’s determined to revamp her life. Jane Strong, fellow mid-century modern enthusiast, encourages Madison’s entry in an upcoming design competition, but their rift makes collaboration no longer an option.  

When Jane is found dead, Madison tops the suspect list. And when anonymous computer hackings interfere with both the investigation and the competition, Jane’s murder no longer seems random. With a mess of a love life, an angry client, and a looming deadline on her contest entry, Madison turns to an unlikely ally to decode a motive before a crash becomes imminent.

Diane’s Bio:

After two decades working for a top luxury retailer, Diane Vallere traded fashion accessories for accessories to murder. She is a three-time Lefty Award nominee for best humorous mystery and a past president of Sisters in Crime. She started her own detective agency at age ten and has maintained a passion for shoes, clues, and clothes ever since.

Preorder Contest:

To celebrate the release of LOVER COME HACK, Diane is giving away a house! A reissue of a 1962 Barbie Dream House, to be specific. Get the scoop here (and get a peek at chapter one while you’re there!)  https://dianevallere.com/lover-come-hack Good luck!

Connect with Diane:

W: https://dianevallere.com

F: facebook.com/dianevallereauthor

IG: Instagram.com/dianevallere

YT: Youtube.com/dianevallere

Diane Vallere: Sorry Not Sorry

JENN: If ever there was a writing award for the best dressed author, it would surely go to today's guest, the fabulous Diane Vallere. Whenever I know she's going to be at a conference, I make sure I check her Instagram to see what she's packing. This girl can rock a conference, I'm just sayin'! Not a surprise as she writes the Costume Shop, Material Witness, Samantha Kidd, and Madison Night mystery series. Welcome to Jungle Red Writers, Diane.

DIANE: My friend says I apologize too much. She thinks women in general have been trained to say I’m sorry when they have nothing to be sorry for, and that by saying the words, they’re allowing themselves to be in a submissive position. It’s not just her, either. There’s a whole slew of online articles about whether or not women should apologize. (There are! I just Googled them for the purposes of this post.)

After she said this, I became more aware of how often I use the phrase in conversation and emails. Sometimes it goes hand in hand with an acknowledgment that I didn’t fully comprehend what the other person asked me to do (“I’m sorry, I didn’t know that’s what was expected.”). Sometimes it’s intended as a soothing phrase (“I’m sorry you’re dealing with that.”). Sometimes it’s preemptive to an insult (“I’m sorry, but you’re a idiot.”). And sometimes, it is what it is: an acknowledgment of having inconvenienced someone else (“I’m sorry for taking up your valuable time for something I could have figured out myself.”) In every one of these examples, I might shorten the phrase to just “I’m sorry” and consider the balance implied. Especially the idiot one, which might lead to additional apologizing for rudeness.

There are daily I’m sorries: I’m sorry I didn’t tell you I was running late. I’m sorry I spilled coffee on your favorite shirt. I’m sorry I didn’t do the laundry. And there are more massive ones: I’m sorry this isn’t going to work out. I’m sorry I let you down. I’m sorry that we want different things. Are these apologies equal? No. They require on-the-spot interpretations, not unlike “I love you.”

Thanks to my friend’s comment, I’ve spent a bit of time analyzing my use of the two-word phrase. The way I see it, there’s a power in apologizing. Saying “I’m sorry” indicates ownership, good or bad. Instead of pointing fingers, passing the buck, or looking for excuses, saying “I’m sorry” is like grabbing hold of an unsatisfactory interaction, establishing that there was a hiccup in communication, and hitting the reset button. When two parties are stuck at a crossroads because one disagrees with the other over, “I’m sorry” serves as the period at the end of the sentence that precedes the sentence with the active verb.

And here’s the selfish truth: I like to be apologized to. I like when someone else tells me they’re sorry for how their actions negatively impacted me, because it indicates a level of respect (except in the idiot example mentioned above). I like when someone other than me takes ownership of a miscommunication and apologizes so we can move on. And since I’m a huge believer in treating people the way I want to be treated, I’m most likely going to continue apologizing despite what my friends say. And for that, I’m not sorry.

What do you think, Reds? Do apologies have their place in daily conversation or is it all too much?

THE DECORATOR WHO KNEW TOO MUCH:

When Interior Decorator Madison Night accepts an assignment in Palm Springs with handyman Hudson James, she expects designing days and romantic nights. But after spotting a body in the river by the job site, she causes a rift in the team. Add in the strain of recurring nightmares and a growing dependency on sleeping pills, and Madison seeks professional help to deal with her demons.

She learns more about the crime than she’d like thanks to girl talk with friends, pillow talk with Hudson, and smack talk with the local bad boys. And after the victim is identified as the very doctor she’s been advised to see, she wonders if what she knows can help catch a killer. An unlikely ally helps navigate the murky waters before her knowledge destroys her, and this time, what she doesn’t know might be the one thing that saves her life.

A little bit about Diane: After two decades working for a top luxury retailer, Diane Vallere traded fashion accessories for accessories to murder. THE DECORATOR WHO KNEW TOO MUCH, #4 in her Madison Night Mystery Series, is out April 2017. Diane is the  president of Sisters in Crime. She also writes the Samantha Kidd, and national bestselling and Lefty Award-nominated Costume Shop and Material Witness mystery series. She started her own detective agency at age ten and has maintained a passion for shoes, clues, and clothes ever since.

5 Must-Have Accessories to Murder @dianevallere

LUCY BURDETTE: Reds, I'm so happy to introduce Diane Vallere to you today, if you don't already know her! Somehow she pegged me as a costume person and asked me to read her book. Now that first in her costume shop mysteries, A DISGUISE TO DIE FOR, has hit bookshelves--and it's definitely a winner. Welcome Diane!

DIANE VALLERE: Fact: the last four accessories I purchased came from a costume shop. Clown necktie, clown bow tie, and two pair of fishnet stockings. And truth be told, I’d be lying if I said this was a new phenomenon inspired by the costume shop mystery series.  

Back in my college days, I threaded holsters and plastic silver pistols through a belt, buckled it around my hips, and wore it to a frat party with a yellow sweater and khaki skirt. A few weeks later I dyed my bobbed hair black and added ropes of pearls and elbow-length gloves to my outfit of fringed skirt and sleeveless tank. And in one lecture hall, the pink crinoline under my black skirt took up so much room on either side of me that I ended up sitting alone.
What, you think that sounds weird?

As someone who first made a living in the fashion industry prior to becoming a writer, I’ve long known that the way we dress is a reflection of who we are. Shows like What Not to Wear endorse that very fact, drawing style inspiration from inside a person who’s been paying no mind to how they costume themselves. But as lifestyles become more casual and outfits are chosen for function rather than fashion, I have to wonder if our online presence has replaced the desire to take advantage of that all important first impression? Are we shifting away from individuality into an army of cargo-shorted and yoga-panted clones? 

I say it’s time for a revolt. So here are four items you might consider the next time you want to stand out in a crowd (and one personal fave): 

1.    Boost the glamour factor of your little black dress with an ostrich feather boa! Available in an assortment of colors and a fun toy for your cat when you’re done wearing it. 

 





2.    Not the boa type? Then go for a flapper headband. Keeps your hair in place and provides a perfect distraction from the spot where you accidentally spilled some salsa.
 


3.    Men: show off your personality with a pair of novelty suspenders! Green for St. Patrick’s Day, red for Valentine’s Day, or plaid for a bit of preppy whimsy.
 




4.    Cold feet? Warm them up with a pair of wacky socks. You’d be surprised what you can find at a costume shop: stripes, dots, and spider webs, to name a few. Wear them under a business suit and surprise your coworkers when you cross your legs.


 


5.    And of course, no wardrobe is complete without a clown tie.  Or is that just me?

About A DISGUISE TO DIE FOR:

No sooner does former magician’s assistant Margo Tamblyn return home to Proper City, Nevada, to run Disguise DeLimit, her family’s costume shop, than she gets her first big order. Wealthy nuisance Blitz Manners needs forty costumes for a detective-themed birthday bash. As for Blitz himself, his Sherlock Holmes is to die for—literally—when, in the middle of the festivities, Margo’s friend and party planner Ebony Welles is caught brandishing a carving knife over a very dead Blitz. 

  

For Margo, clearing Ebony’s name is anything but elementary, especially after Ebony flees town. Now Margo is left to play real-life detective in a town full of masked motives, cloaked secrets, and veiled vendettas. But as she soon larns, even a killer disguise can’t hide a murderer in plain sight for long.

INCLUDES RECIPES AND COSTUME IDEAS!

How about you Reds, costumes or no costumes? If you love them, what's the best you ever wore?