MYSTERY AUTHORS TURNING to YA #WriterWednesday

One of my projects has been to explore and experiment in the craft of writing stories in various genres and topics. An example is the 26 short stories I wrote in an eclectic assortment of genres for an April AtoZ Blogging Challenge. The research, reading, and writing involved were all beneficial learning experiences for me. (The master plan is to include the stories in a wider project.) 

Many writers focus on one particular genre. Mystery writers can choose from a plethora of subgenres: Cozy Mystery, Police Procedural, Hard-Boiled Detective, Soft-boiled Mystery, and Thriller, for starters. Sub-sub genres can include vampires or fairies or science fiction characters that meld with cops and robbers. But even with all these choices, mystery writers sometimes decide to branch out into a totally different genre, such as Young Adult fiction.

Stories in every genre hold a mystery, and mysteries remain at the top of my list for reading and writing. Yet all genres have unique appeal, with young adult fiction ranking high. Some of the articles concerning YA fiction writing are timeless in their information or advice. Much has changed in the marketing industry, but when writing novels for a specific genre the rules, guidelines, and writing process remain fairly solid. 

As has my addiction to dark chocolate.

Of course, YA and Mystery aren't necessarily exclusive genres, but writing for adults and for young adults can feel like writing for two completely different worlds.

For those of you interested in or toying with the idea of writing YA, several timeless blog posts I've found interesting offer excellent advice for writing in the Young Adult fiction genre.

Links are included below.

*****

Cherie Colyer wrote an article, Writing for a young adult audience, that gets right down to basics of audience, character development, and protagonist backstory.
http://cheriecolyer.blogspot.com/2016/07/writing-for-young-adults-audience.html

This is an interview of author Stacy Juba by author/interviewer Judy Penz Sheluk:
http://www.judypenzsheluk.com/2015/07/24/interview-with-an-author-stacy-juba/
plus: 10 YA Sports Novels for Teens and Tweens:
http://stacyjuba.com/blog/2015/07/20/ya-sports-novels/

Brian Klems welcomed teenaged writer Jamie S. Margolin to his blog site, The Writer's Dig, to discuss What NOT To Do When Writing YA Books:
http://www.writersdigest.com/online-editor/what-not-to-do-when-writing-ya-books-advice-from-a-teen-writer

This is a post about the " Top 5 Dos of Writing YA Lit" on the WiseInkBlog (actually 4 with a "don't" included):
http://www.wiseinkblog.com/self-publishing-2/the-top-5-dos-of-writing-ya-lit/

And here are some writing tips from editors concerning authenticity, subject matter, and trends when writing YA:
https://blog.reedsy.com/editors-tips-write-young-adult-novel

*****

With this information at my fingertips, I may decide to write a young adult mystery of my own. Of course, this will require a whole new mindset and a willingness to take myself back to the days of my youth. Maybe I'll begin by stocking up on chocolate - and rereading a good YA novel by a fellow mystery writer to get me in the mood:

THE RAINBOW CONNECTION by Laurie Hanan

Review comments:
The character development is awesome
Wonderfully interwoven twists and turns

THE RAINBOW COLLECTION on Amazon

*****

PAYING IT FORWARD: AUTHOR LAURIE HANAN

Everyone needs at least one fellow writer who is also willing to take on the role of first/beta reader; a person who will point out your mistakes, and then give you suggestions on how to fix them. I’ve been lucky to have more than one such person. But one in particular deserves the spotlight. The person who let me know, more than once, when my thought process needed adjusting is author and editor and friend, Laurie Hanan.

Laurie Hanan
Author of Louise Golden mysteries

Today, I am “Paying It Forward” to Laurie with a huge “MAHALO” for her tremendous support and camaraderie. Over the past five years, she has readily answered my many questions and volunteered her time often, without hesitation. In a profession that could easily become more competition than mutual encouragement, Laurie's willingness to help others stands out. 

Does she offer sympathy when I am feeling insecure in my writing? Not! Her advice is more on the order of, “Yup, we’ve all been there. Get over it.” Okay, then. 

Laurie Hanan is the author of the Louise Golden Mysteries set in Hawai‘i. She recently published STAIRWAY TO HEAVEN, the fourth novel in the series. On September 24, she will hold a gathering and “talk story” session for this novel. Here is her open invitation:  

You are invited to an evening of drinks (no alcohol!) pupus, and talking story about my latest novel, Stairway to Heaven.

 

Thursday September 24, 6:30 - 8 pm

Villages of Kapolei Recreation Center, in the conference room

 

Excerpts of reviews for STAIRWAY TO HEAVEN:

***** "This novel reads like today's headlines." Goodreads review 

***** "Laurie Hanan’s newest novel, Stairway to Heaven, is an action-packed story that takes her heroine, mail carrier Louise Golden, to new heights of adventure. Great characters make a great story. This one’s a very entertaining read, and I couldn’t put it down." A.K. Gunn, author of If Pigs Could Cry and The Honey Bee 

***** "Hanan adds subtle humor to the mix, making this a quick read, not the light beach kind but the tension-filled fast moving kind that keeps you reading to learn what happens next. Caution: When you climb the Stairway To Heaven, be sure to watch your step." Gail Baugniet, author of the Pepper Bibeau mysteries 

***** "Mild mannered Louise Golden, intrepid mail carrier, is once again pushed into the middle of a mystery almost too bizarre to believe." Greg Field, author if Red Dirt, White Bones  

***** "Laurie Hanan spins the reader forward and ends with a satisfying thump. A really fun, fast-paced, mystery that's made all the more enjoyable by Laurie's knowledge and description of the O'ahu setting." JoAnn Bassett, author of the Pali Moon mysteries

 

You can visit Laurie at:

Facebook: Laurie’s Author Page
Twitter: @LaurieHanan

 

All of Laurie's books are available at Amazon
Laurie Hanan Amazon Author Page

 

SinC/Hawaii Interview with Author Laurie Hanan

My guest today is Laurie Hanan, author of the Louise Golden Mysteries and a personal friend of mine here in Honolulu. Laurie recently published her third novel in the series, Another Day in Paradise. Each novel is set in Hawaii, and more specifically, on the island of O’ahu. By the third novel, many of the questions have already been asked and answered, so I dug deep to ask more obscure but interesting questions of Laurie.

GAIL: Welcome, and thank you for joining us today, Laurie. Each of your novels offers the reader a closer look at your protagonist and an opportunity for you to showcase your evolution as a writer. One of the joys of reading an ongoing series is the anticipation of revisiting familiar characters and sharing another adventure with them. An added bonus with your series is for readers to also experience real-time life in Hawaii. While it may not be the same as that portrayed on Hawaii 5-0, that is mainly because Steve MacGarrett doesn’t pop up in our lives all that often! You do have one supporting character in particular, a polo player, who does offer that special dazzle in Another Day in Paradise. What’s the back story on him?

LAURIE HANAN: I assume you are referring to the blond Brazilian, Felipe. My method is to start with a tight outline, but stay open to allowing scenes and characters to detour from the original outline as I write. Felipe is a good example of how that happens. First, let me say Felipe is an entirely fictional character, created in my imagination. I intended for him to be a minor character. But as I wrote him into the story, he grew into a much more interesting and complicated fellow. I went with the flow and let Felipe develop. In fact, at the end of the story, Felipe caught me by surprise. Now I'm sure he'll have to come back as a regular.

GAIL: One of the top questions asked of authors is, “Where do you get your ideas?” It is also one of the most difficult to answer because of its broad scope, in the vein of “What do you want out of life?” To narrow the focus of the question, let me pick a specific area of your latest Louise Golden mystery. Louise takes the neighbor children to a polo match where she meets a rather sexy man. Why did you choose to set scenes at a polo match in Hawaii?

LAURIE HANAN: My sixteen-year-old daughter has been working as a groom's apprentice at the Mokulēia polo field on the North Shore for about two years now. She also takes polo lessons and plays in off-season skirmishes with the professional polo team members. Naturally, I've spent a good deal of my time at the polo field and have gotten to know many of the regulars there. I absolutely love horses, and Mokulēia is one of the most beautiful parts of O'ahu. It seemed natural to have part of my book take place in that setting. I also wanted to share with my readers who may not be aware that polo is a popular sport in Hawaii and very much a part of the culture and history of the islands. And I will reiterate, the sexy Brazilian polo player is purely a figment of my imagination--so girls, don't go out to the polo field hoping to find someone like Felipe.

GAIL: Your protagonist, Louise Golden, is a mail carrier. Ever since the term “going postal” surfaced, it is not so difficult to suspend disbelief that a mail carrier can become involved in a mystery of murder. You were a postal worker also, and while I don’t believe you have ever been involved in a murder, can you tell us some of the experiences you did have on the job?

LAURIE HANAN: For eighteen years I worked at the Honolulu Airport facility as a distribution clerk. That means I worked inside the building sorting letters, magazines, and parcels. Tempers flared from time to time. Supervisors were occasionally threatened with bodily harm. But as far as I know, nobody ever brought a gun to work. There was one stabbing while I worked there, but that was a lover's quarrel. Just like in my first book, Almost Paradise, there was said to be a ghost or two residing in the building. There were a few eerie occurrences. For the most part, the situations Louise encounters in my books are made up.

GAIL: One of my favorite subjects is food, an eclectic variation of foods such as chicken katsu, deep-fried lake perch, sashimi, and pie. What are some of the Hawaiian favorites that receive mention in Another Day in Paradise and why do they have enough importance in your life to warrant mention in the novel?

 



LAURIE HANAN: Like myself, Louise is an animal lover and therefore a vegetarian. This means her enjoyment of local foods is somewhat limited, as mine is. There is less focus on food in the third book in the series. She does have a lychee and li hing flavored shave ice at the polo field. This is one of my favorite indulgences. For lunch she stops to pick up sushi one time and vegetable manapua another time.


GAIL: Religious tolerance is a vital foundation of our “One nation under God.” Recently, I read a newspaper article stressing the idea that we do not have to believe the teachings of another’s faith to respect each other’s faith. Ideology is often an evolution of ideas that even President Obama and Governor Romney exhibit in their lives. In your novels, the protagonist reflects this tolerance. Were your personal ideas about religious tolerance formed early, or were they influenced by life experiences such as travel?

LAURIE HANAN: I grew up in Hawaii and the Mariana Islands. Especially here in Hawaii, we are surrounded by a wonderful smorgasbord of cultures and religions. All my life I've been exposed to people from all religious backgrounds. Only as an adult, though, I have opened my mind to the possibility that there is something to be learned from all religions. Maybe some of that understanding has come through my travels, but much of it I've discovered right here at home. While I practice a conservative form of the Jewish faith, I have come to believe that religion is merely man's attempt to explain the unexplainable, to grasp the untouchable. Religion is the proverbial finger pointing to the moon. Too many people, sadly, have mistaken the finger for the moon. I believe Truth resonates with our souls, if we would only pay attention. Truth can come to us from many sources. Each of us would do well to embrace Truth when we come across it, regardless of the source of that Truth. I intentionally created my protagonist, Louise, as someone who grew up with no religious background, and had little use for religion. In the first book, Almost Paradise, religion doesn't enter her thoughts. In the second book, How Far is Heaven?, Louise is forced to confront her Jewish heritage for the first time at her father's funeral. She discovers she was baptized in the Catholic church as an infant. She also gets to know Freddy, who is a Jew-Bu, a follower of both the Jewish and Buddhist faiths. It isn't until the third book, Another Day in Paradise, that Louise begins to explore her own religious path. I hope many readers will relate to Louise's search for Truth, and her quest to understand herself.

 

Look for Laurie Hanan on the Internet at these sites:

 

ANOTHER DAY IN PARADISE:

http://www.amazon.com/Another-Paradise-Louise-Mysteries-ebook/dp/B009J2K564/ref=sr_1_2?s=digital-text&ie=UTF8&qid=1350010569&sr=1-2&keywords=another+day+in+paradise

 

ALMOST PARADISE on Amazon http://www.amazon.com/Almost-Paradise-Laurie-Hanan/dp/0983286132

FACEBOOK: https://www.facebook.com/lauriehanan

THE INDEPENDENT AUTHOR NETWORK: http://www.independentauthornetwork.com/laurie-hanan.html



http://www.amazon.com/Laurie-Hanan/e/B005OMJ2Q2/ref=ntt_athr_dp_pel_pop_1

Week #3 of The Next Big Thing: Genre

Second mystery in the series
featuring the amazing Charlie Chan,
Detective-Sergeant of the Honolulu Police

The Plan:

***Answer the ten questions below about a current Work In Progress.

***Tag five other writers (five awesome writers whose work you want us to watch) and link their blogs so we can all hop over and check them out! It’s that simple.

I’ve chosen to answer one question per week with the best intentions of having my novel published by the time I post the final question.

Question #3 of The Next Big Thing:

TNBT: What genre does your book fall under?

GAIL: I’ve always been a fan of stories that fall under the category of Mysteries and its many subgenres: Detective stories, Crime Fiction, Thrillers, Suspense, Police Procedurals, and the Traditional Cozy. There wasn’t much I didn’t consider “Mystery” at the time. I wouldn’t have made a very good librarian.

The novels I signed out of my home town library, back when, always included murder: on-scene, off-stage, imagined or heart-stopping fact. The characters enthralled me with their colorful personalities. Their authors blessed them with such unique names as Sherlock Holmes, Hercule Poirot, Miss Marple, Mrs. Dalloway, Dr. Jekyll, Don Quixote, Jean Valjean, Philip Marlowe, and Charlie Chan.

Later, while the plots still included mystery and murder, the protagonists’ names changed to Kinsey Millhone, Jason Bourne, Anna Pigeon, Lucas Davenport, V.I. Warshawski, Harry Bosch, Irene Kelly, Maura Isles and Jane Rizzoli. In recent years, I've added Lei Teixera and Louise Golden and Pepper Bibeau.

My novels are Mysteries, though they don’t necessarily follow all the rules. If you’ve read the rules on writing mystery novels, then you know it is okay to bend them when it comes to setting, sex of hero (no, not the abstinence or practice of), and two-character per scene limit.

The subgenre of the Pepper Bibeau Mysteries, by my definition, is Soft-Core Investigator, as opposed to Hard-Core Detective. Early in the novel Different in Degree, aka WIP, insurance investigator Pepper Bibeau hastily explains to someone asking for her help: “I’m not a detective or a private investigator. My job is to straighten out complications of insurance claims.” Somehow, though, Pepper’s investigations always lead her into the dark recesses of murder.

Next week’s question: Which actors would you choose to play your characters in a movie rendition?

And now, five awesome writers whose work you want to watch:

Alison Bruce http://alisonebruce.blogspot.com/ @alisonebruce

Stella Atrium http://speakingincommunity.blogspot.com/ @SAtrium

Richard Weatherly http://richweatherly.wordpress.com/ @richweatherly43

Cynthia Meyers-Hanson http://mchanson714.blogspot.com/ http://mchanson714.weebly.com/ @Hanson8046 @mchanson714

J. A. Schneider http://mindi.authormeanders.com/2012/06/author-j-a-schneider-merging-idea-with-character-in-storytelling/ @JoyceSchneider1

Questions for The Next Big Thing Interview

What is the working title of your book?

Where did the idea for the book come from?

What genre does your book fall under?

Which actors would you choose to play your characters in a movie rendition?

What is the one-sentence synopsis of your book?

Will your book be self-published or represented by an agency?

How long did it take you to write the first draft of your manuscript?

What other books within your genre would you compare this story to?

Who or What inspired you to write this book?

What else about your book might pique the reader’s interest?

Why I Participate in Author Interviews

Shine a Light on You

On Mondays, I enjoy spotlighting author interviews on this blog site. To a recent request for an interview, I received an interesting response. The author was eager to participate if I could explain how an interview would be of benefit to the author.

My initial reaction was, “Don’t all authors wish they knew in advance how a given marketing tool would be of benefit to them?” Then, stepping back, I analyzed the question from a personal viewpoint. What were my reasons for participating in author interviews, as interviewee and interviewer?

As the self-published author of a first novel, my introductory role in an interview was as interviewee. A bit of research had revealed that interviews were a good marketing tool for promoting a book. Several kindly bloggers offered or agreed to interview me, including:

Sandra “Jeanz”  http://jeanzbookreadnreview.blogspot.com/p/home.html

 A.F. Stewart: http://afstewartblog.blogspot.com/ 

Laurie Hanan: http://westoftheequator.wordpress.com/

Coral Russell’s radio interview: http://alchemyofscrawl.wordpress.com/2011/09/03/btr-show-gail-baugniet-for-every-action/

Faced with the question of how an interview would be of benefit to the author, I rephrased the question for myself, “How had I benefited from participating in interviews?”

• First, I wanted to introduce people to my writing and direct them to sites where they could learn more about my novel and purchase the book. Aside from bringing the book to the attention of the interviewer’s readers, I was able to disseminate the information to people on my social media sites to introduce myself and my writing through an interview.

• Second, I learned a lot about myself while formulating answers to the varied questions presented by interviewers. While all my thoughts weren’t put into words, it was interesting to solidify my ideas about research, writing, and marketing. Writing in a vacuum doesn’t spur an author to mine these thoughts. As a first-time published author, there is so much yet for me to learn, and I am always eager to implement new ideas, both in my writing and in marketing. Interviews fit into this learning curve.

• Third, characters within my novel came into renewed focus. Writing a Pepper Bibeau mystery series makes it imperative for me to stay on top of my recurring personalities. For authors who write non-series books, understanding the characters in one story will build a foundation for creating characters in the next one. After the manuscript is in print and the marketing process begins, however, it is easy to become fuzzy on some of the basics. If you give interviews, you can remain sharp and maintain interest in your writing process.

• Finally, and most important for me, I met some fantastic people: the interviewers. The interaction stimulated my desire to continue writing. It occurred to me that by interviewing authors on my blog site, I could meet any number of fantastic authors, further motivating me to move forward.

My novels feature a strong female protagonist, Pepper Bibeau. Originally, my interviews focused on independent/self-published authors whose protagonists are strong female characters. I soon extended that scope to include people who are strong females in their own right.

Why narrow the field, especially to female protagonists? It was a matter of control. I felt that a broader base would distract me from getting to know the individual authors. I like to check out an author’s work, visit social media sites on the internet, and submit reviews of books I’ve read when possible. My blog site revolves around #mystery #suspense #crimefiction. For April’s A to Z Blogging Challenge, my 26-post theme was “A World of Crime.” This covers a lot of territory, by no means excluding the male half of the world’s authors.

If you’ve participated in an author interview, how has the interview process been of benefit to you? 

Fast Five Author Interview with Laurie Hanan

It is a pleasure to welcome author Laurie Hanan to my blog site today. Laurie grew up in the Hawaiian Islands. After college she traveled in Europe, the Middle East, and Asia. She eventually returned to Hawaii, her true home, where she raised her family, then wrote and published her first suspense novel, ALMOST PARADISE. The story, set in Hawaii, showcases Laurie's familiarity with O'ahu and reflects some of the information gleaned from her extensive travels.

Laurie and I met in person for the first time at a local craft fair in Hawaii. She invited me to share a table where we displayed our respective novels. We even found time to discuss writing tips and exchange marketing strategies, along with some good laughs. With my obsession for e-books, print copies often end up on a shelf unread, but, a mystery . . . set in Hawaii . . . on the island of O’ahu? I couldn’t wait to start reading Almost Paradise.

ALMOST PARADISE
by author Laurie Hanan

FAST FIVE: Laurie, thank you for visiting today. I am eager to learn more about your novel and some of the secrets of your protagonist, Louise Golden. You are a member of Twitter, but rather than an elevator pitch of 140 characters (#hashtags included) can you share with us a more detailed account of the novel and your research for ALMOST PARADISE?

LAURIE HANAN: Louise Golden moved to O’ahu after the tragic death of her boyfriend. She’s doing her best to live a low-profile existence, finding peace in the day to day sameness of her job as a mail carrier. One of her elderly customers vanishes, and Louise becomes concerned about the woman, who has no family or friends. The police seem to be doing little to find the missing woman, so Louise starts her own search. She stops for lunch and meets a stunt man who invites her to a movie set. There, she inadvertently overhears a bit-part actor brag about killing someone. Things begin to heat up when he becomes fixated on Louise. She finds herself caught up in a web of bizarre circumstances that include car tails, stolen artifacts, a glitzy celebrity party, exotic dancing, drugs, and, of course, murder.

Most of my research was done online. I looked up Hawai’ian history and legends to check my facts, and Hawai’ian words and place names to be sure I had all the diacritical marks in place. I looked at maps and Google satellite images, and drove through the neighborhoods mentioned in my book. I interviewed a police officer about police procedure, and asked a county coroner about identifying manner of death. (She invited me to visit the morgue, but I declined.) The most enjoyable part of my research was an afternoon spent interviewing a handsome Israeli stuntman about what happens on a movie set.

.

FAST FIVE: An afternoon spent interviewing a handsome Israeli stuntman sounds like a great way for an author to gather information about a novel! Laurie, you mentioned your protagonist finds peace in the day to day sameness of her job. Is “the job” the most important part of Louise Golden’s life? (Highlight the characteristics that illustrate your protagonist’s strengths.)

LAURIE HANAN: Louise is a mainlander, an outsider, viewed with suspicion by the locals. Her blond hair makes her even more conspicuous. But when she dons her postal uniform, she’s like a superhero, transformed into that great American icon, The Mail Carrier. In the uniform she’s accepted as part of the neighborhood’s scenery—all but invisible. 

Louise’s strength is her caring and compassion for the people she encounters each day. Her big heart will not allow her to look the other way when she feels someone needs her help. This is also what ends up getting her in trouble.

 FAST FIVE: The Mystery/Suspense genre is the focus of Fast Five interviews, but what unique twist makes your novel stand out?

LAURIE HANAN: My protagonist is not a police officer, private eye, bounty hunter, or secret agent. Her job is not to solve cases or take down deranged criminals. Louise is a very ordinary person, and not particularly heroic. She has carefully constructed her life so it offers little in the way of challenges. As a mail carrier, her goal each day is to deliver all the letters and packages and return to the station at a reasonable hour. Nothing more, nothing less. However, life has other ideas for Louise.

FAST FIVE: A heroine is sometimes described as an ordinary person performing an extraordinary act not of her choosing. Even though your protagonist isn't particularly heroic, how does Louise Golden's profession draw her into suspenseful situations, (murder, for instance?)

LAURIE HANAN: Louise’s job as a mail carrier requires her to be out in the community. For the most part, she’s unnoticed as she goes about her work. This gives her a unique opportunity to observe things other people might not. Though, for some elderly folks, a visit from the mail carrier is the highlight of their day. Louise is drawn into their lives, interacting with them on a personal level.

FAST FIVE: Is this book part of a series, and are you working on a sequel?

LAURIE HANAN: Almost Paradise is the first in the Louise Golden mystery series. The second Louise Golden mystery, How Far Is Heaven? will be released early this year. I am currently working on the third book in the series, entitled Stairway To Heaven.

FAST FIVE: Not a Fast Five question, more an “if/then” scenario: If Paris is not an option, then where would you most like to spend your time writing and why. 

LAURIE HANAN: Paris is not an option. Even if it were, I wouldn’t choose it over Hawai’i. I’ve been to Paris and, as the saying goes, it’s a nice place to visit but I wouldn’t want to live there.

The Louise Golden mysteries take place in Hawai’i, so this has to be the perfect place to work. If I could create the ideal setting in Hawaii, it would be a house by the sea. I’d set my desk up so I could watch the sky change colors and the sea rise and fall. Now and then, dolphins or whales would happen by. Green sea turtles and monk seals would crawl onto the sand to bask in the tropical sun. Flocks of sandpipers would run up and down the shore, picking at the line of debris left by the high tide.

Then again, such beauty would be so distracting, I’d never write a word. So I’ll keep my desk right here beside my sliding glass door, with my view of the back lawn and the house next door.

FAST FIVE: Distracting or not, the house by the sea is an intriguing choice for a writer's retreat. Thank you for the vivid description, Laurie, and again, thank you for visiting today.

Laurie Hanan and Gail Baugniet
displaying their novels at the Craft Fair

Links:

ALMOST PARADISE on Amazon http://www.amazon.com/Almost-Paradise-Laurie-Hanan/dp/0983286132

FACEBOOK: https://www.facebook.com/lauriehanan

THE INDEPENDENT AUTHOR NETWORK: http://www.independentauthornetwork.com/laurie-hanan.html