May 17 MWMWA meeting
February 19th, 2009
MWMWA meeting at Centuries & Sleuths, 7419 W Madison St, Forest Park, from 1 – 3 pm
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February 8th meeting report
February 19th, 2009
Started with announcements:
- The next MW MWA meeting will be at Aunt Agatha’s Bookstore in Ann Arbor, MI, Feb 25.
- The April meeting will be a tour of the Airport in Milwaukee, WI
Then, announcements from members in attendance:
- John Desjarlais announced the publication of his first book, Bleeder.
- Nancy Sweetland announced a new book, Light House.
- Luisa Buhler has negotiated a contract with Harlequin
- Kathleen Earnst‘s latest Molly Mystery is Clues in the Shadows.
- Michael Black will have a short story in the MWA anthology.
- Centuries & Sleuths, 7419 W Madison St, Forest Park, will have a program to honor the late Hugh Holton on Sunday, March 15, 2009 2:00 p.m.
Guest speaker:
Jeffrey Deaver is an international best selling author of 23 novels and 2 short story collections. His books are published in 25 languages, sold in 150 countries. He has been nominated for an Edgar six time and received The Steel and Short Story Dagger Award, an Anthony, a Gumshoe, 3 Ellery Queen Reader’s Awards for Best Short Story, and—just this year—a Lovey. Two of his novels have been made into movies. And he’s appeared as a guest on As The World Turns.
Deaver told MWA members that he started writing at eleven. Even at that early age, he knew books were special, being particularly fond of The Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit. Deaver’s first novel was a four page James Bond pastiche that took two weeks to write and had two chapters. Creating the cover art was more fun.
As a boy, Deaver was a nerd, “when nerd meant something—no hundred million dollar stock options.” He developed his own subgenre about pudgy, clumsy, socially inept boys—wish fulfillment stories in which the nerds got the pom-pom girls. He became editor of the Bard, Glenbard West’s literary magazine, and developed a love of poetry. This has helped with his thriller writing because in thrillers, as with poetry, less is more. Deaver fell for the Poetry.com scam and in his best year lost only six dollars. He has since become a professional poet, though not a profitable one.
Having failed to make his fortune as a poet, Deaver determined to become a music star. Singer songwriter, after all, get more pom-pom girls. In his twenties, he performed in Old Town. One night, while going over his lead sheet before opening for a well-known rockabilly singer, he was asked by the star to identify a punctuation mark on his sheet. When he explained that it was a semi-colon, the star told him he was too literary to be a singer-songwriter.
Eventually, Deaver decide he wanted the luxuries of life—food, shelter, etc. He got a journalism degree and a job in Chicago as a magazine writer and reporter, but discovered that editors wanted facts. “Where’s the creativity in that?” So he went to school to study law, where “truth, accuracy, and honesty are not primary considerations.” He went to work at law in New York.
In his first trial as an associate, Deaver represented the defendant, “a large, heartless, running-dog international corporation.” The plaintiff was a former employee fired for cause. He was suing for return of his property lost by the corporation after he was fired. Deaver said that after the plaintiff put on his case, he-Deaver—could say nothing but “This is a gratuitous lawsuit. We’re not responsible.” He was amazed when the judge found in favor of the corporation. When he found out that the lost property included irreplaceable family photos, Deaver felt like writing the man a check himself. He decided he was not cut out to be a lawyer.
While commuting to work, Deaver had been writing the kind of books he liked to read—thrillers. When he finished the first, he wrote another. “Both were egregiously awful.” One was so bad he shredded it in the document shredder at work. He decided to give up writing. Five months later, he finished the next novel. This was the thriller ever written. It was rejected by everyone in the publishing business. “My mother would have rejected it.” Vanity presses wouldn’t have published it. He received his manuscript back with the pages out of order. There was no rejection letter—just the original cover letter with a footprint on the back. The best rejection Deaver got for that book was a rejection letter actually typed: “Dear Mr. Deaver, This manuscript is unpublishable…”
Deaver’s next novel got published. And the next novel got published.
Deaver resolved to treat writing as a business and create books regularly. He had a contract for a third book. When he knew that the third book wouldn’t be finished to his satisfaction by the deadline, he sent in one of the unpublished manuscripts, hoping that by the time it was rejected, his unfinished work would be complete. To his surprise, the editor loved it. This was an editor at the same company that had pronounced the manuscript “unpublishable.”
Deaver has produced a book every twelve to eighteen months ever since.
When asked if he had any desire to write for the movies, Deaver quoted, “A wise man knows his limitations. I have no talent for film….I look at movies as paid advertising.”
Deaver concluded his talk by sharing three tricks of the trade:
- Write what you enjoy reading.
- Treat writing as a business. Proctor & Gamble doesn’t suffer from toothpaste block or miss deadlines.
- Remember that rejection is a speed bump, not a brick wall. Never give up.
Reported by Michael Dymmoch
Categories: Meeting report, Meetings | Tags: Centuries & Sleuths, Jeffrey Deaver, John Desjarlais, Kathleen Earnst, Luisa Buhler, Michael Black, Michael Dymmoch, Nancy Sweetland | Comments Off
LIM profile
February 7th, 2009
Author Libby Hellmann is moderating the panel on Writing Sex. She’d like authors not to be afraid to write “scenes that are sensual and reveal how the characters feel about each other.”
Learn more about Libby’s latest, “Easy Innocence,” and the followup novel coming in October, “Double Cross,” at her website.
Categories: Love is Murder | Tags: Libby Hellmann, Love is Murder | Comments Off
LIM profile
February 7th, 2009
Ruth and John Jordan, publishers of Crimespree Magazine, are enjoying a conference that they didn’t have to organize. Ruth just completed putting together the very successful Bouchercon2008, and then helped host Murder in Muskego a few months later.
Jon is involved in the 2011 Bouchercon I’m St. Louis.
At this conference, the two are appearing on a number of panels – one is the sex panel that Ruth is sitting on.
“Written sex is like actual sex. A) You have to feel comfortable, and B) It has to be interesting.
Categories: Love is Murder | Tags: Crimespree Magazine, Jon Jordan, Love is Murder, Ruth Jordan | Comments Off
LIM panel
February 7th, 2009
The panel “Writing in the past for contemporary readers” brought Tasha Alexander, Albert Bell, Steve Berry, Robert Goldsborough and Sharon Newman to talk about writing historical mysteries and thrillers.
Moderator Joanna Campbell Slan led the participants in a lively discussion that touched on aspects of research, avoiding the mistake of writing an historic character with too modern a mindset and what to do with interesting historic facts that have no place in your novel.
Hint: Don’t fall in love with your words because you will have to part with some.
Categories: Love is Murder | Tags: Albert Bell, Joanna Campbell Slan, Love is Murder, Robert Goldsborough, Sharan Newman, Steve Berry, Tasha Alexander | Comments Off
LIM Friday wrap up
February 7th, 2009
The day ended with a buffet meal sponsored by Echelon Press authors. LIM President Luisa Buehler stood and gave a few remarks and introduced Local Guest of Honor Raymond Benson who introduced our visiting guest of honors Jeffery Deaver, Steve Berry and Sharan Newman.
Augie Aleksy of Century and Sleuths bookstore wrapped up the event with a presentation on Sherlock Holmes, recounting many passages that hinted at the great detective’s personality and private life.
Saturday’s programs have already started with a panel introducing newly-published authors. Check back here today for more profiles and some panel reports.
Categories: Love is Murder | Tags: Jeffery Deaver, Love is Murder, Sharan Newman, Steve Berry | Comments Off
LIM local guest of honor
February 6th, 2009
It’s a big convention for Raymond Benson – one of Love is Murder’s special guests and debuting his new book “Dark Side of the Morgue.”
One of the many things he’s doing this weekend is sitting on the Keeping it Light panel.
Raymond says a standard rule of tragedy is you’ve got to have some comic relief otherwise you’ll lose the audience.
“Even Ingmar Bergman knew to throw in a little comedy.”
Learn more about Raymond at his website.
Categories: Love is Murder | Tags: Love is Murder, Raymond Benson | Comments Off
LIM profile
February 6th, 2009
Rosemary Harris is sponsoring the hospitality suite to promote her new book, “The Big Dirt Nap.”
Power Marketing is one of the panels she’s on and she advises authors to balance their online and in person efforts.
“Come to shows and meet people,” she says.
Rosemary is bullish on library events and on blogging. “I spent a lot of time and money on my website, (but I should have done) more outreach, blogging.”
Learn more about Rosemary at her website.
Categories: Love is Murder | Tags: Love is Murder, Rosemary Harris | Comments Off
LIM profile
February 6th, 2009
Luisa Buehler has a short story in the “Missing” anthology being released here at LIM by Echelon Press.
She’s appearing on the Guts, no Guts panel to talk about cozies.
“Cozies have personality and they have angst. And cozies have guts, we just don’t spill them all over the page.”
Visit Luisa’s website to learn more about her Grace Marsden series and her latest project, “Innkeeper, An Unregistered Death.”
Categories: Love is Murder | Tags: Love is Murder, Luisa Buehler | Comments Off
LIM profile
February 6th, 2009
Police officer and writer Michael Black will be sitting on a panel about avoiding cliches in your story – a subject he’s passionate about.
He hates “the scene where the detective brings everybody together and explains the crime because the story is so convoluted, or the talking killer who has to explain his entire motivation.”
Visit Michael’s website to read more about him and his latest projects, including the follow-up to”Random Victim,” “Hostile Takeover.”
Categories: Love is Murder | Tags: Love is Murder, Michael Black | Comments Off
