Nancie Clare and Speaking of Mysteries podcasts

HALLIE EPHRON: Podcasts are hot, and Nancie Clare is riding the wave. Co-founder of the iPad publication Noir Magazine and former editor-in-chief of LA, the Los Angeles Times Magazine, she’s teamed up with Leslie S. Klinger (everyone’s favorite Sherlockian) to create Speaking of Mysteries podcasts.

And speaking for mystery writers, we’re all eager to be featured.

Nancie, where did this wonderful idea come from, and when did you guys post your first podcast?

NANCIE CLARE: Les and I published our first podcast in April 2014. Robert Crais was our first guest. We figured why not open with a bang!

As for the idea: In 2011 Los Angeles Times Magazine had an iPad app and our April issue, which was always an annual mystery issue that featured people who worked in the genre, went global. I mean it’s not a great revelation that the audience for crime fiction is everywhere, but it was astounding to me to get emails from all over the world from fans of the genre who found the issue at the iTunes store.

After the LA Times shut the magazine down, the former creative director Rip Georges and I did a Kickstarter campaign and raised funds for the tablet publication Noir Magazine. Unfortunately that didn’t go any further than the first issue. But I was determined to continue in the genre. I asked Les to join me in the adventure and, well, here we are, more than a year into it with more than 60 episodes!

HALLIE: What’s been your most exciting “get” in terms of guests?

NANCIE: Every guest is a “get”! But in terms of best selling authors on both sides of the pond, we’ve interviewed Jo Nesbø, Peter James, Val McDermid, Robert Crais, Alan Furst, Thomas Perry, C.J. Box, Ace Atkins, Sara Paretsky …

HALLIE: Wow. That's some list. Which author surprised you?
NANCIE: Robert Olen Butler knocked my socks off. I had certainly heard of him as a Pulitzer Prize winner for literary fiction, but his three crime fiction books featuring Christopher Marlowe (Kit) Cobb—The Hot Country, The Star of Istanbul and The Empire of Night that take place before America enters World War One—are extraordinary. Otto Penzler read “The One in White,” a short story Bob had written for The Atlantic—which itself was inspired by one of the postcard’s in Bob’s collection—and suggested creating a novel using that voice.

HALLIE: How often do you put up new interviews, and what authors do you have in the pipeline?

NANCIE: I do my best to publish one podcast a week. This month (August 2015) we’ve had an embarrassment of riches.

We just published an interview with former Sports Illustrated staff reporter and editor, Bill Syken, whose Hangman’s Game, his debut mystery is set in the world of the NFL, and we’ll interview Belinda Bauer about Rubbernecker, her remarkable mystery featuring an anatomy student with Asperger’s Syndrome.

We're going to interview Kareem Abdul Jabbar who, along with Anna Waterhouse, wrote Mycroft Holmes. Yes, Kareem Abdul Jabbar is a Sherlockian! 

HALLIE: What unavailable author (dead, reclusive…) would you most like to interview, and what would you like to ask?

NANCIE: Alain Robbe-Grillet for The Erasers. I’m not trying to be high-falutin’ by naming a French author, and a writer in the Nouveau Roman (new novel) vein at that, but The Erasers, which was his first published book, is a mind-bending mystery story about a detective who is investigating a murder that hasn’t yet occurred, only to uncover that he is the intended murderer.

HALLIE: Whoa. I'm going to have to read that.

NANCIE:  And Patricia Highsmith. I’d ask where did Strangers on a Train and Tom Ripley come from? And considering she was a famous misanthrope, she probably wouldn’t answer. Hell, she probably wouldn’t pick up the phone when I called.

HALLIE: What have you learned about mystery writers?

NANCIE: For a group of writers who toil in an—albeit fictional—world of deceit and death, they are the nicest group of people on the planet.

HALLIE: And could you share tips that you’ve learned about creating engaging podcasts since you started Speaking of Mysteries?

NANCIE: I’m pretty much the ultimate crime fiction fan girl and after three decades in journalism, am a pretty good interviewer, so I figured why not combine the two. But here are the things that I think are important:

1. Always, always read at least one book by the author and certainly the one that’s going to be discussed.

2. Prepare your questions, but be prepared to go off the script. The great thing about interviews is the direction in which they can wander. 

3. Have a chat before turning on the recorder. Ask the interviewee if there are any topics that are off limits, or if there are any questions he or she might have for me. 

4. Keep in mind that listeners are coming to the podcast to hear who’s being interviewed, not me; that means have great questions that will elicit engaging answers.

5. Edit the interview down to around thirty minutes. Audiences have a limited attention span. Leave them wanting more.

HALLIE: Nancie, you also wrote a gorgeous, lavishly illustrated coffee table book commemorating the 100th anniversary of Beverly Hills, In the Spirit of Beverly Hills. Did you discover anything unexpected about famous crimes that took place there?

NANCIE: First, thank you! It was a fun book to write and I learned a lot about your hometown and it made me sad that I had grown up so close—Sherman Oaks—but oh so far away!

Of course I read about the Johnny Stompanato murder and the Menendez murders. But what piqued my interest was an incident that took place before the vote on the attempted annexation of Beverly Hills by Los Angeles in 1923: a bomb—which was referred to in the press coverage as an “infernal device”—was sent to the office of Al Murphy, the editor of the Beverly Hills News was pro annexation. It exploded, but since it was built of firecrackers, Mr. Murphy only sustained minor burns. The note accompanying the bomb indicated it was sent by someone in the anti-annexation camp—which included such luminaries as Mary Pickford, Douglas Fairbanks, Will Rogers, Rudolph Valentino, Harold Lloyd, Charlie Chaplin and Fred Niblo.

I’d like to find out who sent the bomb. And why.

HALLIE: So everyone, run right over to Speaking of Mysteries podcasts and DOWNLOAD!Today's question: What dead or otherwise unavailable mystery author would you like to hear interviewed and what would you like to know?

Are you a POD person?

Hank Phillippi Ryan:  I love this photo. It's unusual because--I'm not talking. (Joke.) Anyway I'm listening to the brilliant Cari Dubiel, at the NEO-SinC  (I know, I think it's funny too, but we love them!)  "Killer Heat" event at the Beachwood Branch of the Cuyahoga Public Library in Cleveland!  (I said that all in one breath.)

It was a fabulous jam-backed day, wall to wall people, and Cari and I presented an hour just for mystery lovers. Our goal--to do our bit for discoverability. To give readers a whole wonderful list of books to read. So we chatted about some of our current faves, and why we were reading them, and also asked the audience for suggestions. It was like one big book club, and it was a real treat.  

Here's a link to the list of just SOME of the books we discussed. Can you predict why? Do you agree that they're discussable? (Do you think discussable is a word?)

Defending Jacob – William Landay
Gone Girl – Gillian Flynn
The 500 – Matthew Quirk

Don’t Ever Get Old – Daniel Friedman

Rage Against the Dying – Becky Masterman

Mr. Churchill’s Secretary – Susan Elia Macneal

Black Fridays – Michael Sears

Murder on the Orient Express – Agatha Christie

The Daughter of Time – Josephine Tey

The Execution of Noa P. Singleton – Elizabeth Silver

Dare Me – Megan Abbott

The Burning Air – Erin Kelly

Always Watching – Chevy Stevens

Blood Orange – Karen Keskinen

Anyway! The thing about Cari--not only is she the Assistant Manager, Adult Public Services, at Twinsburg Public Library in Twinsburg, Ohio. She has two blogs of her own: a personal blog, Walking Identity Crisis, and an official Twinsburg Public Library blog, The ABC Book Reviews: A Beth and Cari Production. 

Not THIS kind of pod person!

And she's a real pod person. Not that kind. She does a podcast. A what? Yeah, a podcast. About books! Cool, huh?  So I invited her over to chat about it!

Cari Dubiel:

Hello, fans of Jungle Red!  I’m here today to talk about my podcast, The ABC Book Reviews.  If you’re not already a podcast listener, they’re a great way to pass the time while driving, running, or washing the dishes.  Much like audiobooks, they give you something to focus on and get excited about if you’re not entirely excited about the task you’re doing. 

Why listen to our podcast?  I could start by telling you that last year, it was chosen as one of the best book podcasts out there by the Wall Street Journal Online.  But that would just be boastful of me.  Instead, I’ll talk about the appeal – why it’s worth your time.  The hosts are me (Cari Dubiel) and Beth Hatch.  We’re both librarians as well as writers, and we talk about the latest books we’re reading, and why you should read (or not read) them too.  We love mysteries, so if you’re looking for another good one, chances are we’ll talk about one or two.  But we also talk about a wide variety of genres, so if you’re looking for new reading recommendations, we’re the place to go for that, too.

Our podcasts are funny (we like to believe that, at least).  We’ve been described as “two girls chatting over a cup of coffee” or “two girls chatting in the back of the bus.”  Two girls chatting… that’s the gist of it.  It’s like you’re overhearing our conversation.  There’s a fun feeling to that, isn’t there?  I always want to join people’s conversations when I’m in public.  I realize that probably makes me creepy, but especially if they’re talking about books, I want to know what they think.

We also go on tangents.  We’re both moms, so we talk a lot about parenting.  We’re writers, so we spend a lot of time deconstructing books, figuring out why we like or don’t like them.  Beth is really into the paleo diet and exercise.  So I guarantee that you’ll take away a long list of reads from every show, but you may also learn something completely off the wall, like how to get a baby to go to sleep (I’m still not sure exactly how that works) or the trials and tribulations of living with a vinyl hoarder (that would be my husband).  We don’t censor ourselves, either, so you may hear some interesting stories about weird things that happen in the library.  Don’t say I didn’t warn you.

HANK: Wait. Wait. I have LOTS of questions.

Like: What is a podcast?  How does it even work? Why are they called podcasts?

Cari: Podcasts are audio files that live online.  They're called podcasts because most of them were designed to be downloaded to iPods.  They are kind of like mini radio shows.  There are lots of different formats for them - sometimes it's just a person talking into a microphone - sometimes it's cohosts (like us) - sometimes it's a whole panel.  Most people download them from iTunes onto an iPod or iPhone, but you can also listen to them on the web or on a phone or MP3 player that's not an Apple brand.

HANK: Whose idea was this--and how did you pick the title?

CARI: My old boss at the library had purchased the recording equipment with the intent to do a "library podcast."  He thought people would be interested in listening to a podcast about library news and events.  Well, we found that in the town we serve, the audience was very narrow.  Podcasts appeal to a niche group: people who commute, exercise, travel, knit, etc.  They want something to listen to to pass the time.  So in order to get a broader audience, we needed to expand the topic past Twinsburg.  We thought it would be fun to sit around and talk about books, so we decided to try it and see what happened.  Beth came up with the title since our names started with B and C.  

HANK: Were you frightened the first time?

CARI: Not at all.  I was a DJ on my college radio station, so I was used to being on the microphone, and we didn't really think anyone would ever listen to it.  Now I know better.

HANK: How do you decide what to talk about? Where do you record them?

CARI: We generally have a rough idea when we start, but go on a lot of tangents. We do a lot of "what are you reading" podcasts because people love to get new ideas for books to read, and they want to hear personal recommendations.  Occasionally we will see a news article and want to talk about it, or we'll be reading a bunch of books on a certain topic and want to highlight it (say, funny books, or mysteries).  We usually record either at my library or at Beth's, but occasionally we will record on Skype if we don't have time to get together.  Beth used to work with me at Twinsburg, but she got another job, so we see each other less.

HANK: Do things always go the way you planned? Do you edit or change them? How often is there a new one? HOw would people know?

CARI: We do edit out the "ums" and if we end up going on a tangent that might offend people, we edit that out too.  We can't swear or say anything that would make the library look bad.  But other than that, they're pretty much straight from the mic.  We try to update twice a month, but sometimes it's harder since we're at different libraries now.  We update our blog, Facebook, and Goodreads when we have a new podcast, or you can subscribe to our iTunes feed if you are a regular podcast listener.  There is also an archive of 100+ episodes.  We have had people talk about how they "binge listen" and go back and hear everything we did!

HANK: How has it changed your life, doing these?

CARI: Now there are a bunch of people around the world who know who we are and that we love books.  They've read books because of us, and their lives (I hope) have been changed by their enjoyment of those books and of the podcast.  I also hope they love libraries just a little more, too.  

HANK: That is so exciting! And works so perfectly.   So--do you all listen to podcasts? I have to admit it's a new experience for me...do you have a favorite one? I'm off to binge-listen to Cari....and hey, I'll give a collection of books to one lucky commenter! Because reading is what it's all about.

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

How do you find Beth and Cari?
Cari says:

Find us on iTunes, subscribe in an RSS reader, follow  on Facebook or Goodreads – there are plenty of ways to join the conversation.  Thanks to the fabulous Hank Phillippi Ryan for the opportunity to share my podcast with you.  Happy listening!

SECRETS OF THE HARWOOD METHOD

“JACK WAKES UP rocks! It’s a fast, smooth ride on a highway not found on any map!”
Michael Connelly

You should have heard Seth Harwood at Newtonville Books (my local bookstore) when he started reading out loud from JACK WAKES UP. The roomful of people was silent. Listening. Riveted. It was so--cinematic--it was like watching a film.

Turns out, Seth is all about how his books sound. Out loud. And is making a national name for himself not only for his incredibly well-received first novel, JACK WAKES UP, but for his innovative and wildly successful methods of promotion.

Here's the scoop.

HANK: So, Seth. Most people write a book on paper or type it on a computer. Then they SELL it. That's not exactly how you decided the world should work. What's the Harwood method?

SETH: Well, the Harwood method is basically that when things aren't working you have to innovate and try different things. I wasn't getting the responses from agents that I wanted (How about at least a simple "No"? In some cases I couldn't even get that.) so I had to find another way of working the publishing game.

I wanted to put my novel on the internet and didn't know how, or if people would read it, but I'd always listened to books on CD in the car, so when I found authors who were reading books and distributing them as free audio podcasts--and that thousands were listening!--I bought a mic and jumped in!

By working with those authors, I saw how they did it, had a chance to promote to their existing audience, and got folks hooked on my book. I was up over 1,000 downloads of my chapters a week before I was half-way through the first ten episodes of JACK WAKES UP. Eventually I used that audience to storm Amazon.com with a small publisher, hit #1 in crime/mystery, and convinced New York that I could sell books!

What it comes down to is the selling method: I wasn't getting anything from stuffing envelopes with agent submissions, so I had to find something else to do with my work. I knew my novel was done and wanted to keep writing new material, not caught in an endless loop of revision and slush piles.

I should mention I still type my work on a computer.

HANK: Wait—so you read you book out loud? And recorded it? How did that work? I mean, I know how it WORKS, but did you use a studio? Did you have to edit? How long did it take?

SETH: Yep. I read my work out loud and release it for free on the web as serialized audiobooks. It’s been a great way to create a fan base online!

I use what you might call a “studio” in my apartment. It’s actually a glorified closet with blankets tacked up on the walls. And I edit out my flubs and flibs on my MacBook using Garageband. Very easy to do. I actually explain it all in this three minute video:

And Scott Sigler and I have been teaching others to do it through our Author Boot Camp series


HANK: ANd did it work? What was the reaction?

SETH: it worked. Like I said, I sold JACK WAKES UP to #1 in crime/mystery on Amazon, got an agent by doing it, and the book was in editors' hands the next week. When they finally saw it, a few of them loved it. I think JACK WAKES UP is a great book, that always had to be the core of the approach--I put my time in first on the hard, careful writing--so when it got to an editor I could be confident in the result.

From there I landed a contract with Three Rivers Press and the book just came out in a major nationwide release this spring.

HANK: Then what? And now what? (You're giving away 3 chapters free?)

SETH: Now I'm doing a lot of touring--on my own dime. I believe in what I've done on the web, but also in the great bookstores and mystery booksellers out there. So I'm getting out and meeting them, reading the book in stores and meeting a lot of the folks who've been following me online. They're an awesome bunch!

HANK: So you're actually seeing people in person now. How's that?

SETH: It’s great! I love meeting people who’ve listened to my podcasts and now getting to talk with people who’ve read my book. Through Facebook and Twitter, I’ve been able to announce my events and get some good crowds out to the stores. Then I usually grab a bite or a beer with some of the online “Palms Daddies and Mommas!”

But in some ways, I feel like I already know a lot of these people. They’ve been writing me emails and participating in the forums on my site for a while now. Enough that we’ve built a relationship. They’re awesome fans!

HANK: Tell us about Jack. And tell us about the books!

SETH: Jack Palms is an ex-Hollywood action movie star—kind of a one-hit wonder who pissed his career away with a series of bad media relations and a drug addiction. JACK WAKES UP picks up about three years after that: when Jack’s cleaned himself up and needs to find out what he’s going to do next with his life. He needs money and when an old friend from LA calls to bring him in on a drug deal, he says “Yes” out of curiosity and simple desperation. From there, he finds himself walking the line between acting and action and becoming unsure which side he’s really on.

It all takes place in San Francisco with a cast of mobsters, outlaws and drug dealers that rival anything you’ve seen in the best action movies. As Michael Connelly says, “It’s a fast, smooth ride on a highway not found on any map!”

I've put out a total of three Jack Palms novels as audio podcasts now and finished a fourth crime novel this spring. They’re all free. I'm giving away the first three chapters of JACK WAKES UP as a free pdf via my site and still going strong with my CrimeWAV podcast, which is where I produce a weekly short story series by other crime writers to introduce their work to my listeners. We've done 40 episodes so far and have had on some greats!

HANK: Aren't you from Boston? How'd Jack end up in California?

SETH: You bet I'm from Boston! All the way. I grew up in the South End and Cambridge, Newton a little, and was living in Boston again after getting my MFA from Iowa in 2002. I took writing classes at Harvard Extension before that, from 1998 to 2000. I lived in the area until my wife got accepted to grad school here in Berkeley. We moved out in 2005 and kind of love it out here, I have to admit. Though I'll always be a native East-coaster, I'm really enjoying California right now. For a city with great crime/noir roots, San Francisco is pretty damn hard to beat. But I still come back for the Celtics and the Red Sox!

HANK: Yeah, good luck with that Red Sox thing. (But really, this could be the year!) So, questions for Seth? Like: should we all get in on that podcast thing?