by Lynne | Feb 24, 2014 | Uncategorized
Tragedies Make Good Copy
March 25th, 2014, will commemorate the 103rd anniversary of the Triangle Shirtwaist Factory fire. The 1911 fire was the deadliest workplace disaster in NYC before 9-11. It was significant not because 146 workers died, but because it instigated significant reform. At the time workplace safety was barely regulated and rarely thought about . . . except, perhaps, by the workers themselves. Other workplace disasters had occurred in the past and would again in the future. You may remember a similar fire at a factory in Bangladesh last year.
When I decided to write a mystery against the backdrop of the Triangle, I had no idea what I was in for. Research took me in several directions: the forensics of fire, the consequences of “defenestration,” that is, vertical falls from high places, the difficulty in identifying bodies falling from such heights, the safety hazards for garment workers, women’s rights, workers’ rights, changes in the American workplace.
But I also researched the time and place of the disaster. 1911, Greenwich Village, New York City. A time when Ellis Island kept its arms open to immigrants from many countries — immigrants who came for a better life, but often wound up in sweatshops, or worse. A time of Tammany Hall and corruption. A time of women’s suppression. But also a time of new beginnings, hope, and freedom in a new land.
I am a native New Yorker and was amazed at the fantastic bits of information I dug up. I learned, for instance, that Washington Square Park is built on what was once a potter’s field, where 100,000 people were buried for a century and a half. I walked the streets of Greenwich Village, saw the buildings my characters would have seen, drank in bars they patronized, and gazed up at the ninth story of the Asch Building (now part of NYU) to visualize the flames bursting through the windows and the workers leaping to their deaths.
The cover of my book is a photo I took of the building in 2010, with smoke and color added for dramatic effect. For those of you who write about history, or simply enjoy reading it, I know you’ll agree that real-life events in the past make a grand backdrop for a fictional story.
Murder, in particular.
by Lynne | Feb 17, 2014 | Uncategorized
Self-Publishing Dilemma
With a fourth mystery launching late this spring, I have a decision to make. Stay with BookBaby or switch to Amazon KDP. Here’s how Bookbaby (and I assume Smashwords, et al) operates:
I upload my manuscript to them for formatting in e-version. They design the cover for the e-version and they’re pretty good at this. They will then make it available to something like 11 e-book distributors. This includes Amazon, Barnes and Noble, SONY, Copia, Kobo, iBooks, etc.
If you want a paperback, Bookbaby offers those services too, but they’re expensive. Remember, all you have for artwork, is the front cover design, no back design or spine. Plus interior formatting is a bear but they will be happy to do it all for a fee. A large fee.
The really big hitch is that the Bookbaby printed books are not POD (print on demand.) That means you get a bunch of paperbacks printed and you have to distribute or sell them yourself or you’re stuck with them. By the way, bookstores will not usually take books from self-published authors. They must come from a big distribution houses. So I was never able to get my paperbacks on the Barnes and Noble shelves.
For my three e-books, I made the decision to go with Bookbaby. For the paperbacks, however, I went with Create Space. I used the Bookbaby cover art and hired an artist to complete back cover and spine. I struggled with the interior formatting until I finally paid Create Space a small fee to do it for me. In the end, Create Space did a good job of formatting, printing and, of course, the paperbacks are POD. Create Space does distribute to smaller bookstores but from my experience they never wind up on the shelves.
One more point here. Bookbaby is very slow to report e-book sales. They are usually three months behind. Right now, my last reported sales were in mid-November. Create Space is entirely different. You can find out paperback sales daily. Good for you, Amazon.
My next book has me re-considering this process. I’m thinking of going with Amazon KDP for everything. This means I lose any sales outside of Amazon, which, to date, I estimate to be less than one-quarter of all my sales. Amazon makes up three-quarters. If I make the leap to KDP it must be an exclusive contract for a specified amount of time. I can always switch back, I suppose, if I’m not happy.
I understand Amazon also helps authors with marketing the product but I don’t know if that really makes up for the lost sales. Or what it means at all, frankly.
Is KDP for me? I would love to hear about your experiences.
by Lynne | Feb 11, 2014 | Uncategorized
It’s a Mystery to Me
I just recently read Michael Connelly’s book, “The Black Box.” Frankly, I wasn’t riveted and when I tried to figure out why, I realized it was because Harry Bosch had become soft. His relationship with his daughter played a large role in the story and it annoyed me. He was much too solicitous of her feelings. Nah. He’s an LA cop.
Okay, you say. It’s nice to see he has feelings for his daughter and wants to make her happy. And, you may be tired of the clichéd cops: drunk, surly, never around for family, whatever. I agree with that to some extent. But Harry was almost too human here. This made me think about other books in which I originally liked the characters but began to lose interest when the plot, or mystery, became mired in relationship issues.
Inspector Lynley, Elizabeth George’s character, is a perfect example. Her first books had me hooked. Great plots, well-drawn but human characters with personal foibles lurking about. But once Lynley fell for this Helen woman, suddenly the stories (the cases he had to solve) took a back seat and the relationship was up front. No thanks. If I wanted to read about relationships for half a book, I wouldn’t buy a mystery. I’d watch a series like Downton Abbey, where the characters, very much “real” people, are the main story. Or read one of my favorite authors, Anne Rivers Siddons, whose novels are about people and their relationships with other people.
When I read a mystery, I want to cogitate, figure out whodunit and why. The more pieces that are missing, the better. Sure, I like good characters but in mysteries, I enjoy them second to the mystery. Val McDermid’s Tony Hill series is a great example of both. Tony, a police psychologist, is quirky and weird, and his relationship with the police inspector, Carol Jordan, leaves you wondering what’s going on. But it doesn’t usurp the story. The crime they’re solving together is key.
How real should characters be? Since most people are relatively banal and their lives somewhat boring, a book character must be more than “realistic.” Sue Grafton is an example of humdrum to me. I could care less that she cleans her bathroom every time she’s stressed and certainly don’t want to know the cleanser she uses.
Characters must be colorful, able to be distinguished from another character — perhaps by their speech patterns, their looks, or their mannerisms. Again, their peculiarities don’t need to take center stage all the time. Just on occasion. You want to know them but not at the expense of the mystery.
It doesn’t take much to paint a picture of an interesting character, either. A roll of the eyes, a huff of breath, an about-face and stalking off can do the job. Tony Hill carries his paperwork in a blue plastic bag rather than a leather briefcase. This tells you oodles about him but doesn’t take up pages.
I had a different reaction to “The DaVinci Code.” Here plot, action, adventure, solving the puzzle are paramount. I felt the characters were quite wooden and mechanical and there was little chemistry between the male and female leads. Now, you think, which way do you want it? Characters or plot? Darn, I want both, but I want both done well. The storyline of The DaVinci Code is grand, the characters mediocre. Can you have both? I don’t know. Ask Dan Brown. (Catch him on the way to the bank!)
So, Harry Bosch, yell at your daughter once in a while when she gets on your nerves. Be human. Be real. But do your job and focus on the mystery. I might like you better next time. If I give you another chance.
by Lynne | Feb 3, 2014 | Uncategorized
Moving Your Story Forward
All good books (and movies) contain subplots. Like real people, main characters have a lot going on in their lives. They go to work, make breakfast for the kids, feed the dog, pick up the groceries, and pay the bills. Are these mundane tasks subplots? I don’t think so. For me, they are often background noise.
I don’t care what kind of pancakes the kids get, although they can be mentioned to add flavor to the characters. I do care about paying the bills if the main character is in debt and worried about her sick mother and is considering suicide to redeem the life insurance policy.
Subplots can be very important, however, if they keep the central story moving forward. This is particularly true when new characters make their appearance. Why is this character here? What’s their purpose to the story? I’ve read a number of books where characters were introduced then went nowhere. In fact they disappeared without any reason for their existence. Did you ever wonder what happened to the suspicious woman seen in the same coffee shop the main character frequented? What was their point? To make us feel nervous that our heroine was in danger?
Moving the story forward is paramount. In every scene, every chapter, every section, every episode. There are times when information and descriptive details can add to the story. You want to know, perhaps, what kind of furniture is in Sam’s bedroom, particularly if Sam is a stud who brings women back to his apartment and later kills them. A glass and steel, black and white décor Sam is quite different from an Italian Mediterranean Sam with rich, warm woods and quilts of gold and red. I would say these descriptions are not subplots. They are part of character development.
Let me use a popular PBS series, Downton Abbey, as an example of what I mean by subplots that take away from (or even take over) the main plot. For Downton fans now watching the current season, what would you say the major plot is? The family is once more in financial straits and in danger of losing their home? Or would you focus on the individual character s, ie: will Mary find a new mate? Will Edith eventually marry Michael? Will Tom take his baby and run off to America? I guess these are all subplots that keep the main storyline going. Each subplot must be resolved somehow.
Also, as writers we must take care not to drag subplots out too long – or end them too quickly. For instance, the maid that Lady Grantham hired back without consulting with Mrs. Hughes once again made a play for Tom. Duh. When Mrs. Hughes found out, she made quick work of her and she was out of the series in a couple of episodes. Ahh, too quick for me. There could have been an excellent subplot here.
I felt the opposite when Anna refused to tell Mr. Bates about her rape. Even though it lasted just a few episodes, I was impatient to have the story told. Now, I want to see what Mr. Bates does in response. Tension.
Veering too often from the main story in unrelated directions will make your readers impatient. I know because I’m one of those impatient readers . . . eager to follow the storyline to its final resolution.
The cover of my book is a photo I took of the building in 2010, with smoke and color added for dramatic effect. For those of you who write about history, or simply enjoy reading it, I know you’ll agree that real-life events in the past make a grand backdrop for a fictional story.
