Here's where I've been

In the northwestern part of Michigan's lower peninsula, which is seriously gorgeous although has two flaws. The food is universally midwestern blah food. You might believe you can outthink it, but your order is always foiled by soft bread, too much cheese, too much mayo.
From restaurant to restaurant, the same dull menu. Secondly, where the heck are the movies. You have to drive 45 minutes to one. But for sheer beauty, nice beaches, sand dunes, great sunsets, good air, it's tops.

Read On Chesil Beach by Ian McEwan. Terrific. He never lets me down. Who is your favorite author in terms of consistency? Your favorite director on the same terms (Kubrick) Or is consistency important?

Happy Father's Day, Ralph Nase

I won't be around on Sunday to post this so here it is a bit early. My father, now 92, was the 16th of 19 children born to a man who supported the family working in a cigar factor. My father worked from the age of 6 to the age of 89, never for much money or esteem. He served in WW II and was at Nordmandy and the Battle of the Bulge. He received his draft notice on his weddding day and came home four years later to find his father-in-law had replaced him in his job. He never hit me, never yelled at me but we also have never had a really meaningful conversation. He made sure toys were under the Christmas tree, that I never went to bed hungry, that we went to Ocean City, N.J. for a week every summer. When I was getting in with the wrong crowd in high school, he took out loans and sent me to a private school that made me march for Jesus but also provided a good education. It was the only school he could afford. He has never said he loves me, but I know he does.

When I used to write poetry, I wrote one for him. You'll see why I turned to fiction but I'll probaby never write a story about him so this will have to do. (My father never learned to swim.)

Antaeus in the Swimming Pool

Like the figure of Poseidon
in a Woolworth's goldfish bowl,
you stand, legs planted firmly
in the three-foot end of Fisher's pool.
Really you're more of an Antaeus
among the bobbing toys, Never mind,

I'll be no Hercules. Neither of us sees
something foolish in our circumstance.
Instead, I swim, stomach scraping
concrete (for I'm too big here too)
between your pillared legs.
Executing figure eights, eyes splayed,

treading carefully so as not to knock
you down or even skim your surfaces.
Neither of us could bear to find you
helpless in such shallow water, tumbling
frantically, screamine strings of bubbles
among the tiny bodies of your peers.

A Saving Grace

I have a new story on The Thrilling Detective. Thanks to Gerald and Kevin for their suggestions.

http://www.thrillingdetective.com/fiction/07_06_01.html

Lessons from a former Detroit Police Officer

Mostly I wanted to know the dynamics of an interview in a homicide case. But one of the cop's observations about cop protocol wreaks havoic with how I want a scene to play out. How authentic to an actual interview does it have to be if it's not a police procedural? I guess at this point I would call it a suspense novel. Anyway the nice Police Guy is taking the relevant chapter home and going over it with a red pencil. Here I go again, letting someone read it before I'm done. Only my husband should read it because he always says, "Great job, honey." He's such an enabler.

Re: The Sopranos. I commented on it on a million blogs. I loved the ending. I love ambiquity though. I will miss that show even though I never completely got all the mob machinations. I have no instinct for it, I guess.

My troll story is sailing along. I think it's way too complicated for a five-year old though. Maybe my husband will like it.

Please go see "Once" if it comes your way. What a lovely movie.

The Trouble With Trolls (the real kind)

Yesterday I met a five year old who immediately informed me that he had heard that I had written a story about trolls and he would like to read it. This very precocious boy insisted that he could read the scariest stuff I could come up with and go away unscathed, that, in fact, he was ready to take on Night of the Living Dead and Scream should his parents come to their senses. He shared with me several books featuring pretty scary stuff including versions of the mask here.

In my story in Thuglit, the trolls were dully human and barely suitable reading for adults so I promised the child I would write a story about trolls just for him. I know nothing about trolls. Are there any troll experts out there trolling by. Are trolls usually short or am I confusing them with dwarves? I have an idea if shortness is involved. Are they always evil? Maybe this story will turn out to be scarier than the Thuglit one.

Summer Picks from The Boston Herald

Maybe someone with blog traffic bigger than mine will pick up this list. Check out #7. Forgive me for promoting, but she doesn't have a blog.

BOOKS : Bask in the Glow of These Hot Summer Reads

Friday June 01 Boston Herald
By SANDRA KENT

Whether you're baking in the sun or lolling in a lounge chair - summer's sublime supine moments were made for a good, or good 'n' dishy, book. Here are 10 eclectic picks for the beach bag.

1. "Diary of a South Beach Party Girl"
By Gwen Cooper

2. "An Illuminated Life: Belle da Costa Greene's Journey from Prejudice to Privilege"
By Heidi Ardizzone

3. "Free Food for Millionaires"
By Min Jin Lee
Warner Books, $24.99

4. "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows"
By J.K. Rowling
5. "The Gravedigger's Daughter"
By Joyce Carol Oates
Ecco, $26.95

6. "A Woman in Charge: The Life of Hillary Rodham Clinton"
By Carl Bernstein
Knopf, $27.95
Available Tuesday

7. "Queenpin"
By Megan Abbott
Simon & Schuster, $13
Available Tuesday
Maybe it's the sultry heat of a Saturday afternoon - but there's something about summer that cries out for noir. In the sly and stylish "Queenpin," Megan Abbott gives a feminine spin to hard- boiled crime, crafting a tale of grifters and their marks. Master of the game: Gloria Denton, a former beauty who still has "the legs of a 20-year-old Vegas showgirl, a hundred feet long and with just enough curve and give and promise."

8. "Michael Tolliver Lives,"
By Armistead Maupin
Harper Collins, $25.95


9, By Ann Brashares
Riverhead Books, $24.95
Available Tuesday

10. "Waking with Enemies"
By Eric Jerome Dickey

On that long drive, we talked about

The spouses of series' detectives. First of all, there aren't that many. Most of the men and nearly all of the women detectives are single. And if there is a spouse, they are usually little more than a domestic diversion. Or get killed off or divorced (Wexford). Or the gymast that was married to one of the Dutch detectives.
Can you think of any examples of spouses that are interesting, developed characters? Nora Charles, of course, to start the ball rolling.

Book Launch for Voices of the Lost and Found

Last night we went to a book launch that Wayne State University Press
held for my friend Dorene O'Brien's new collection of short stories Voice of the Lost and Found. Another short story collection by Andy Mozina was also making its debut (The Women Were Leaving the Men). It was a lovely evening at the Detroit Historical Society with champagne and pastries.

The room was filled with WSU people. friends, family and of course, writers.
Mitch Bartoy (The Devil's Only Friend) had one piece of good news--that his first book was being translated into French. But other than that, we were a pretty dour group. Michael Zadoorian (Second Hand) had lost his publisher and agent, after having a first novel that was well reviewed everywhere including in the New York Times. He and other writers are bitter about unrealistic expectations of how books should do, what sort of investment should be made by the author, how much time should be spent traveling to bookstores to sell a few copies of the book. One wonderful writer has had every book go out of print and can't really see the point of writing a sixth book. It is doubtful that bookstores outside of Michigan will carry Dorene's book unless it gets reviewed in newspapers and we know how likely that is to happen with decreasing reviewing space. Anca Vlasopolos, (with a book of poetry and an historical novel this year) is bearing all the expenses of publicizing each despite receiving no advance. Her expenses also include trips to Japan and Hawaii to do research.

This discussion is taking place on Crimespace too, of course, and other blogs. What can be done to make people read more and to make publishers satisfied with smaller sales? How can we get bookstores to stock writers other than Patterson and Evanovich. A smaller Barnes and Noble near us is shockingly exclusive in what they stock. They give no room to noir writers at all, for instance. No Ken Bruen, I couldn't believe it. And yet, bookstores are on the edge of disaster too, so the problem probably rests finally with the decline in reading.

I wish I believed that blog reviews really helped writers much. But the general public still thinks of them as bogus. When I talk about seeing a book reviewed on a blog, people look at me like I'm talking about the one-page newspaper I used to put out in elementary school with my trusty printing press.

Sorry to go on for this long. But it keeps me up nights. Does anyone have any ideas? PLEASE!

A real live Detroit cop is having lunch with me

Or an ex Detroit cop at least. He's agreed to meet with me to help me get it right. Although I am knee-deep in those books that explain police procedural, something tells me that Detroit may do it differently. I tried to go to their website to see how the Department is organized, but it always claims it's being rebuilt. I guess that's appropos of everything here. Or at least that's what we're always told. If you think of any good questions to ask a cop investigating a homicide, let me know.

Saw the movie Knocked Up on Saturday night. I'd put the picture up but it crowds everything else out. It was funny and had some moments that rang true, but boy, was the plot generic. And boy, as my daughter said, when the director can make a movie about female geeks who find love with gorgeuous men, maybe we can take him seriously. His movies are every teenage geeky boy's wet dream.

Re: Megan. Jim Winter has a nice review of Queenpin in January Magazine. I'm not supposed to mention her here, so shhhhhhhhhhhh.

Oh, those Sopranos. I am biting my nails until the finale.

Is it ever too creepy for even you?

I'm wondering if you ever find yourself writing stuff that is too creepy for even you. I mean if you saw it in a book, would you skip over it? Obviously this would differ from person to person, but I find myself in that situation and wonder if I'm going too far.

After spending his morning writing an article on sixties feminism, my husband and I went to a garage sale where he found something he wanted to buy for a $1.00. He paid the man standing near him who was wearing an apron. The man told my husband that the woman at the cash box would give him a bag. Husband walked over and said, "The boss said you would give me a bag." Now I ask you, if the two people had been reversed would he have said the same thing. He claims yes, but we know better.

Two films on DVD in two nights. Both dealt with trying to solve a crime of some type but how differently they did it. One used atmosphere and mood to keep your attention while the "detective" poked around.. The other seemed tedious because it had no atmosphere or mood even though it was set in Paris. We can learn a lot from the movies of the forties/fifites in that regard. Also all female detectives seem like they're doing a poor imitation of Helen Mirren now.

It's All in the Details

How much detail in a novel is too much? Specifically how much are you willing to learn about—let’s say—running a hardware store. What if the information about screws and drills and rakes is pertinent to the story or creates the atmosphere that makes the story go?

I am wrestling with this now. In short stories, it was pretty easy—just a sentence or two was all I had space for. But now I can tell you lots and lots about hardware stores. I studied up on them and there is a case for putting a lot of this in the novel. It will reek of wood and metal and fertilizer if I do. And jeez, I did spend months learning about how they do the inventory and what kind of things customers say when they come into the store.

I know it depends on how interesting it is and how it adds to the story but do you usually want to get back to the action? Do you usually think, “All right already with how bolts work? Give me a murder about now.

Save me from drowning in my details before it’s too late. See, even here there is too much detail.

How Far Are You Willing to Go

in rewriting a story for an editor? Lately, editors seem to be getting more proactive in what they want stories in their mags/zines to be like. Maybe this is a good thing and it's probably likely that I write too lit-light, not dark enough for some of the places I submit to. I still haven't given up on the idea that a story can end without a big bloody death. But in that case, I should probably go back to the lit mags, I guess.
Do you change your stories to suit an editor? How many times will you go back to the drafting board to please someone? If the editor makes his/her case, I usually will go along with it. I'm not sure or secure enough to be wedded to a particular ending. How about you?

I did have stories accepted recently in fall/winter editions of Spinetingler and Demolition. A nice treat!

Recommended Movies: Waitress & Away From Her.

She's in the Army Now

A short piece on Muzzle Flash (D.Z. Allen) brought about by a news story I heard on NPR. It may be too political and angry to function well as a story. Do you ever find that? The pieces you care most about are not often your strongest pieces?

http://www.muzzleflashfiction.net/

Queenpin

Megan's third book Queenpin is out now and a PBO to make it more affordable. If The Song is You was about a man who tried to reform, Queenpin is about a woman who doesn't know the meaning of the word. It's a racecar of a novel and I highly recommend it.

I'm lucky enough to have some of Megan's earlier efforts (ages five and on) and she was writing (and illustrating) noir even then. Maybe I can scan them on here sometime.

I'd also like to recommend a collection of short stories by my good friend, Dorene O'Brien. They may masquerade as literary fiction but they are about as dark as any noir. Voices of the Lost and Found is published by Wayne State University Press, their first fiction. It's a real treat.

Some Personal Observations about Travel

I took the four books recommended from the nice people on crimespace. Excellent, life changing books that would hold my interest. Instead, I read a romance novel (Marrying the Mistress)by someone called Joanna Trollope I found on the shelf where we stayed. If she is Anthony's relative, she has some 'splaining to do. It was quite bad but easy to follow, requiring no focus or commitment. You could open it on any page and be right at the same spot. Apparently she has never heard of the Page 69 rule or else applies it on every page.

I devoured it.

Budapest seems to be still in the thralls of Soviet bureaucracy. Buying a train ticket required two stamps from two officials and took twenty minutes. We paid huge fines on the metro system because we changed lines without buying a new ticket. A virtual army of citizens stood guard and pointed firmly to the sign that warned us that ignorance or misunderstanding of the law did not constitute an excuse. In free museums, we stood in line to get a ticket that said we could enter for free and then stood in another line to pass this ticket on. In one museum only the dome required a fee and that was guarded by two women more ferocious than any in a noir novel.

I am being evil here though because Budapest was just lovely: the people, the food, the sites.

In Vienna, our parsimony undid us as we discovered out flight on Ryan Air was actually in Bratislava, an hour away. It was Sunday and early so we had to pay a female taxi driver to drive us there. She spoke no English but talked the whole time. It turned out she had no idea where the airport was and spoke no Slavakian. We made it, of course and paid her the equvalant of $120. She tapped her inch long red nails on the window and sped away crying out...something.

In England, I fell down the stairs at Lilly Whites and was nearly rushed to hospital. Later on the bus a woman next to me spend forty-five minutes applying makeup. I doubt I have spent that time in my life. She also sniffed something called Oil of Alba. I got quite jolly by the end of the ride.

I bought my six month old grandson a football uniform but understand I picked a bum team. I couldn't resist the fetching colors.

Jetlag is setting in now but glad to be home. Forgive me for any errors here. I am truly loggy.

If anyone wants me

I'll be in Budapest, Vienna and London. I'm still trying to pick my four slim paperbacks to take and figure out how to get everything into a carryon bag. It's not clothes that I'm worried about-it's money belts, umbrellas, guidebooks, prescription drugs and microfiber towels.
Take care. I'll miss all of you (or at least the three of you I hear from).

The Trouble With Trolls

My new story "The Trouble with Trolls" is in Issue 15 at Thuglit-link on the right.

The Son-in-Law Weighs In

Basically he likes it. Thinks the premise works, the characters work, the atmosphere works.

On the more alarming side, he doesn't see her as being dark, doesn't think she would murder anyone, sees the novel as a self-discovery narrative rather than suspense-- much less noir.

I thought I had long buried that self-discovery crap but here it is raising its ugly head. I don't think I can pitch a book that's not genre. So do I begin to change it now or write till the end and hope it works out. Or write to the end and then change things.

I knew this babe was running off with my book by the third chapter. I knew she wasn't gonna let me take charge. What would you do?

Funny How...

we now get invested in the lives of people we don't actually know but whose blogs we read. I'm thinking mainly of David 's Molly, who I don't know at all but am sick about. I am also worried about Christa's move to SC, Anne's new home in an MTM house, whether Bryon's girlfriend is treating him well, how the Killer Year Books are doing, what happened with Megan Powell's Shred of Evidence, where Tribe has gone, if Sandra is writing again, if Daniel can get to the US soon, if Ken will kill off Jack Taylor, and on and on. I've only met two of these people but it feels like they're just around the corner.
We now share the intimacies of our lives with strangers. Except they are not strangers after a bit, are they? May all of you in blogland have a wonderful year and life. I'm rooting for you. I'm worrying about you.

Hot Fuzz

It may well be that I don't have the necessary references to draw upon for a complete enjoyment of this film For instance, the two films it continually referenced: Bad Boys 2 and Point Blank are blanks for me. As is Reno 911 and all the Police Academy movies. I did get the references to horror movies though.
But I didn't find this film as funny as I expected. I did find it smart, well done and literate-if you know the literature. But shouldn't I have laughed more at a comedy as I did with the fabulous Shaun of the Dead? There were very few minutes of pure glee. And the ending went on forever--I mean it. Thirty minutes of mayhem may be too much.
If I hadn't love Shaun I would put it to age, but I don't think it was...quite. Or maybe watching the entire cast over 50 get smacked upside the head played its part.