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

*****

Kolaches with Birds and Bees

###

The 26 eclectic-genre short stories for my #AtoZChallenge are excerpts from travelogue notes by

novel character Gahlen, who first appeared in SHARDS OF MEMORY – Oral History in a Heartbeat.

Each A-to-Z daily post is a complete, stand-alone tale - partly true, partly fiction.

Kolaches with Birds and Bees

Genre: Young Adult Science Non-fiction

(363 words)

We were gathered around Selena and Micha’s kitchen table. While visiting this quaint Czech village, they had invited us to their home for coffee and dessert. The table setting included urns of steaming hot coffee and platters of round pastries topped with sweet fillings.

When their young daughter reached for a poppyseed-filled kolache, Micha slowed her hand. “Tereza, tell our guests something you learned in school.”

Her disappointment slowly turned to delight. “We learned about the birds and the bees. Would you like me to recite the lesson?”

Our nervousness over hearing a lesson on reproduction was clearly misinterpreted.

“Tereza,” her father said, “our guests are growing restless for dessert. Give your report so they can enjoy your mother’s kolaches.”

“Our temperatures and seasons,” Tereza began, “are not much different from weather in your Wisconsin. Snow comes often in winter. Otherwise, we have warmer temperatures and enjoy the entertainment of what is called the birds and the bees. Let me tell you about this.

“Here in Hosti, Bohemia, we have many colorful birds: grouse and rose finch and even woodpeckers. In fish ponds, you will see white-tailed eagles and cranes. Storks and buzzards frequent our wooded areas and valleys. But we have no crows, none at all.

“Instead, magpies have taken over, especially the white-throated ones. They are not nocturnal and do not keep company with nightingales. They tend to frequent areas where hives of honey bees proliferate. That is how bees keep their population high, by . . . um, proliferation.”

Tereza stopped until her mother offered encouragement.

“The magpies do not eat honey and they are not bee-eaters. They prefer eating mice and cockroaches, and spiders whole. That is why these birds and bees get along so well together, or rather apart. They do not eat or sting each other.

“I like magpies because they eat things I really, really do not like, especially creepy crawly spiders.” Smiling, she said, “Now for dessert.”

Selena gave us a conspiratorial wink. “She only agrees to tell her birds and bees story when promised an extra kolache, preferably poppyseed.”

No one fought over a choice of prune or poppyseed. There were plenty for everyone.

*****

Switching Genres: An Interview with Author Laurie Hanan #WriterWednesday

Author Laurie Hanan joins us today to discuss her most recent novel, The Rainbow Connection, a YA novel set in Hawai‘i. Laurie has a successful mystery series, also set in Hawai‘i, featuring mail carrier Louise Golden who gets tangled in mysterious situations she uncovers on her mail route. With four Louise Golden novels published, Laurie took a break to write a young adult novel. 

*****

From a synopsis of The Rainbow Connection

by Laurie Hanan:

With graduation looming, Emmy’s only friend in her new school goes missing. Brett’s run off before. Her mother and even the cops figure she’s done it again. But Emmy is convinced Brett can’t wait to begin college in the fall, and she would never ditch her super-hot boyfriend. Something bad must have happened to her. Emmy is determined to find out what.

***** 

Gail: Thank you, Laurie, for sharing some of your thoughts today on your latest book, The Rainbow Connection. After writing mysteries for so many years, did that discipline allow for an easy transition into writing a young adult story?

 

Laurie Hanan: Mahalo, Gail, for inviting me to your blog!

     I don’t know if  “easy” is a word I’d use for transitioning to the Young Adult genre. It’s been a long time since I was seventeen, and of course teens today live in a totally different world from the one I grew up in. Developing an authentic voice for Emmy’s character took trial and a lot of error before I felt I was even close. My teen years were painful. Imagining my own seventeen-year-old self in the same tough situations Emmy faces, re-experiencing the raw emotions, and sorting through what my thought processes might have been at that age, gave me more than a few sleepless nights. I also paid close attention to my teenage daughter and her friends, taking notes on their mannerisms and quickly jotting down samples of their lingo. 

     But it was a natural and enjoyable transition to take a peripheral character who I love in my Louise Golden series, develop her personality even more, and give her a mystery of her own to solve.
 

*****

 

Her search leads to a secretive religious group. Emmy suspects there is more to the group’s simple lifestyle and ecstatic dance rituals than the peace and harmony they preach.

 

***** 
 

 Gail: Your comments about re-experiencing raw emotions of teen years and sleepless nights reminded me of the Ernest Hemingway quote — 'There is nothing to writing. All you do is sit down at a typewriter and bleed.'

     In The Rainbow Connection, protagonist Emmy’s maturity has developed through an array of responsibilities within the family, at school, and on the job. Can some of her more questionable decisions that draw her into precarious situations, such as the isolated meeting with Byron at a retreat for a secretive religious group, be attributed to the still-developing reasoning of a teenager?

 

Laurie Hanan: Absolutely. Science shows us that a teen’s brain is not fully developed. They tend to act on impulse, misjudge precarious situations, and misread social cues and the emotions of others.

     Emmy is impulsive, prone to exaggeration, at times irrational, and makes choices that are downright dangerous. Being a teen necessarily makes her an unreliable narrator. The reader is given insights into the missing girl only through Emmy’s skewed remembrances of her, adding another layer of questions about her disappearance.

    

Gail: You have taken the characters Emmy and her brother from your mystery series and created a new storyline for them in the YA genre. What, if any, details from their backstories play a role in or contribute to the plotline of The Rainbow Connection? How important is it for a writer to develop a character’s backstory, in a series or a stand-alone novel?

 

Laurie Hanan: I will answer your questions out of order. When writing a series of stand-alone novels, there can be a fine line between including enough backstory to help readers understand the character, and throwing in so much backstory it confuses the reader and bogs down the flow of events in the new mystery. While each of my novels stands alone, reading the series in order does offer a broader view of the characters’ development over the years.

     In my fourth Louise Golden mystery, Stairway to Heaven, seventeen-year-old   Emmy makes some misguided decisions, resulting in her being kidnapped and held for ransom on a small sailboat during a hurricane. Twelve-year-old Jackie is pulled into the rescue efforts and ends up killing a man to save his sister. While these events play no role in the plotline of  The Rainbow Connection, the experiences do bring about dramatic changes in both Emmy and Jackie, and permanently alter the dynamics between brother and sister.  I originally included some of this backstory in The Rainbow Connection, but my editor felt it “belonged in a different book.” I reluctantly agreed. So, I am currently working on a novella-length recreation of the kidnapping and rescue from the perspectives of Emmy and Jackie. I hope this will shed more light on how the traumatic events affected the two kids.

 

Gail: This coming of age story has a missing person at its center, supporting the idea that stories in all genres involve a mystery. Having written mysteries, and now YA, did you develop a specific preference in genre for future works, or will you continue with the YA series while adding to your Louise Golden series?

 

Laurie Hanan: A big part of why I write is to make my readers happy. Louise fans are clamoring for more time with Louise, while Emmy’s new fans are pleading for the next Emmy Hanlin YA novel. My hope is to continue writing more in both series. 

     I’m currently working on another spinoff from the Louise Golden series, a humorous, classic whodunit starring Louise’s eighty-something-year-old stepmother and her geriatric neighborhood watch group.

 

 

Gail: Mahalo for sharing so much personal insight into your writing style and  character development, Laurie. The information about backstory is especially educational. I look forward to reading your YA novella and the humorous geriatric mystery. 

 

Laurie Hanan's Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/lauriehanan

 

 

 

Laurie's books are available at Amazon.com in trade and e-book formats: 

https://smile.amazon.com/s/ref=dp_byline_sr_book_1?ie=UTF8&text=Laurie+Hanan&search-alias=books&field-author=Laurie+Hanan&sort=relevancerank
 

 

 

*****

*****

 

 

 

#WriterWednesday - Book Review: Stacy Juba's DARK BEFORE DAWN



Today's book review is for author Stacy Juba's Magic of Books Tour. The YA novel is entitled DARK BEFORE DAWN (Young Ladies of Mystery Book 3) Age Level: 12-18; Grade Level: 6-12

This is the author's synopsis of the novel:
If you could control minds...would you? Dawn's psychic abilities lead her to befriend two girls who share her secret talents-but when she discovers that her new friends have dark intentions, she must make an impossible choice.

Book 3 of the Young Ladies of Mystery Series - each novel is a standalone, but shares a common theme of young women thrust into a world of danger and mystery in New England small towns.

Book Review of DARK BEFORE DAWN

by Gail Baugniet

This is a YA novel. The author's excellent writing style and exceptionally well-researched subject matter, however, create an interest for adults as well. From the opening lines, Stacy Juba demonstrates her authority on the topic of teenagers, their thought processes, and the predictability of their unpredictability.

The story's protagonist, Dawn Christian, has been aware for some time that she is different. She knows things through premonitions. But her mother doesn't want people to think of her daughter as different and she discourages Dawn from mentioning this ability. Although demonstrating extra sensory perception isn't the same as not picking up your dirty socks, in either case having a parent dictate how to act or think is often interpreted by a young adult as a lack of support.

Creating characters who possess ESP in an otherwise normal, blended family situation gives this story an edge that the author utilized to ratchet the tension ever higher. The plot never felt contrived. Scenes were confined to a reasonable realm of possibility.

While the story dealt with paranormal phenomena, the author also wove in the plotline a very real problem of bullying that is prevalent in schools today. In comparing "the results of bullying" to an ongoing trial case labeled "The Making of a Murderer," two sides of a question arise. Does a bullied person become a danger to society because of adverse treatment, or does bullying treatment only release latent danger inherent within a person?

*****     *****     *****

Posting a review of a book you enjoyed reading is the best compliment you can give an author about their work. With this in mind, I will also post my review of 

Dark Before Dawn 

at Amazon.com and Goodreads.com 

 

*****     *****     *****

 

Please visit Stacy Juba's Young Ladies of Mystery series
Promo Tour: http://stacyjuba.com/blog/2016/05/05/20849/

Nancy Drew for Grownups

L is for LOVE! LAUGH! PANIC! AtoZChallenge Review

The theme of my 2014 A-to-Z Blog Challenge is BLUES, PUPUS, and REVIEWS.

Monday & Wednesday - REVIEWS: mini-style book reviews

 

The full title of this book is Love! Laugh! Panic! Life with My Mother by Rosemary Mild. A memoir is not my standard reading fare. And when the memoir is about a mother/daughter relationship, you might expect something on the order of a Joan Crawford tell-all. Not so with this story.

 

The author narrates with a subtle touch of humor. With panache, she applies fine layers of self-effacing detail until a full portrait of life with her mother emerges. Occasional personal revelations that the reader can relate to bring a quick smile or an outright belly laugh. If you have been raised by a hands-on mother (Jewish, Catholic, or otherwise) you may experience several “a-ha” moments as you recall similar experiences in your own life.

 

Trials in the yo-yo life of a perennial dieter, and insight into the debilitating illness of a parent, are interwoven with lighter tales of college angst and pleasures. The memoir is loaded with love. There are plenty of situations to encourage laughter. And often lurking in the shadows is an undercurrent of panic.

Love, laugh, and panic right along with author Rosemary Mild:

http://www.amazon.com/Love-Laugh-Panic-Life-Mother-ebook/dp/B00HTAF75M/ref=sr_1_1?s=digital-text&ie=UTF8&qid=1397454476&sr=1-1&keywords=Love%21+Laugh%21+Panic

 

 

FAST FIVE Author Interview with Cheryl Linn Martin

Today’s guest is Cheryl Linn Martin. When I read the title of Cheryl’s first novel, Pineapples in Peril, my assumption that she must have ties to Hawaii was correct. “Do you recall what it was like to be 10-16 years old? What kinds of things made you excited, angry, challenged or confused? How did you relate to siblings and parents?” These are the questions Cheryl Linn Martin considers when developing characters for her middle reader mystery series, The Hawaiian Island Detective Club.

FAST FIVE: Welcome and thank you for taking time to share your writing background with us today, Cheryl. You have mapped out a trilogy of mysteries for The Hawaiian Island Detective Club. What inspired you to write stories set in Hawaii and what is the first novel in the series, Pineapples in Peril, about?

CHERYL LINN MARTIN: I have always loved Hawaii ever since I lived there while attending The University of Hawaii. I combined that with my interest in writing for ages 8-12 years and The Hawaiian Island Detective Club was born!

The three books in this series are entitled Pineapples in Peril, Menehunes Missing, and Ukuleles Undercover.

(Menehunes Missing has a tentative release date of February 5, 2013.
Ukuleles Undercover will probably be out in the summer or early fall of 2013.)

In Pineapples in Peril, Leilani Akamai and her two best friends, Maile and Sam decide to investigate the vandalism taking place in the pineapple fields near their homes. They’ve been The Hawaiian Island Detective Club for years, solving pretend mysteries. This is their chance to solve a real one. Unless, of course, Kimo, Leilani’s annoying ten-year-old brother ruins everything. And then there’s Maile’s 16-year-old brother who’s the love of Leilani’s life.

Ahh . . . the angst of adolescence!

FAST FIVE: Love your alliterative titles! Aside from the perils of prickly pineapples and missing mischievous menehunes, did you have other interesting experiences while living in Hawaii?

CHERYL LINN MARTIN: Yes, I did! I learned to surf, got scared by a pipefish while snorkeling (thought it was an eel!), nearly lost my suit while body surfing, ate every kind of island food I could—including poi, took hula classes, and performed at my dorm’s luau. I loved every moment of island life!

FAST FIVE: Body surfing, learning hula, eating poi - you were a true kama’aina living in Hawaii. Do you follow any specific writing process to complete the first draft of your novels and do you know at the beginning of the mystery who will be the culprit?

CHERYL LINN MARTIN: When I’m writing a new book, I mark my calendar for ten weeks of 5,000 words each week and dedicate several hours each weekday to reach that goal. I do any catch-up word count necessary over the weekends. My books are all around 50,000 words! I do very little editing when I’m in the “writing mode!”

I’m not a “plotter” so I don’t usually know at the beginning who will be the culprit, but I do need to know what the mystery is and also something about where I’m going. The in-between can take many unusual turns before the real culprit is revealed.

FAST FIVE: Which character in Pineapples in Peril is most like you, and why?

CHERYL LINN MARTIN: Probably Leilani. She is determined, yet in many ways has issues with her confidence. She also finds herself in trouble a lot, even though it always seems to be her brother’s fault.  

Leilani learns some wonderful things about her annoying younger brother. But then there’s reality—Kimo will always be her pain-in-the-pants younger brother! So, every book in the series has the wonderful moments involving family and siblings, along with the frustrating times. Kind of like real life, huh?

Yup, I have a younger brother!

FAST FIVE: What motivates you to write and what habits have you developed that would be beneficial to new writers?

CHERYL LINN MARTIN: Striving to do what God has placed in front of me motivates me to keep pressing forward. Sharing wholesome mysteries filled with fun, humor, mishaps and unexpected moments for kids to enjoy also motivates me to continue this amazing journey.

For new writers, if you are goal oriented try setting a reasonable word count goal that allows for you to get ahead at times and gives you make-up time as well. Also, set aside that time to simply sit down and write—don’t go to any e-mails, facebook pages, etc. It’s all about planting yourself in front of that computer and pounding out the words!

FAST FIVE: This last isn’t so much a question as riding a wave from the professional world of writing to your personal life. Please share a little about your family and what you do for fun and relaxation when you’re not writing.

CHERYL LINN MARTIN: I have a great husband, three amazing kids and Lilly, a Persian cat who’s definitely “The Queen.”

My oldest son, Ian, has his own home and works for Nautilus. My daughter, Ashley, is married to a wonderful man, Dave. She works for Portland State University and he is a lawyer for a Portland, Oregon firm. My youngest son, Shane, wants to be an artist for a Graphic Novel company. He’s busy working on projects and sending them off—not unlike being an author!

I love to grow veggies, and blueberries and raspberries on my deck. I also love to sing, and am part of my church’s drama team—challenging, yet rewarding. I swim with my son and do push-ups with the Oregon Duck (the U of O mascot) whenever Oregon scores—and, yes, they’re men’s push-ups! I’m practicing for this fall!

I worked for Portland Parks and Recreation for 31 years and still like to work with kids today! A week of church VBS is totally draining!

Where readers can connect with CHERYL LINN MARTIN:

Website address is www.cheryllinnmartin.com

Blog site all about Hawaii at www.lifeinflip-flops.blogspot.com

Facebook author page at www.facebook.com/authorcheryllinnmartin 

Twitter at http://twitter.com/clinnmartin

If “tweeters” would like to comment on The Hawaiian Island Detective Club, they can add the hashtag: #HIDC