On Reading and Writing

by Leslie Budewitz
Author of Death al Dente



Leave a comment this weekend to enter the drawing for a free copy of Death al Dente!

For nearly twenty years, I’ve belonged to a monthly book club. Stephen King says if you want to write, you’ve got to read. While I won’t add, “so join a book club,” being part of one has made me a better writer. Why? It’s made me a better reader.

In my first group—started by two couples and still buzzing after thirty-plus years—members chose books by consensus. Alas, I moved. In my current group, the hostess makes the choice. I argued for consensus when we formed, wanting to have a voice in what we chose. Turns out both methods work equally well. Both groups have brought books into my life that I might not have found on my own. When serious readers band together, it’s inevitable that tastes differ, as do sources for recommendations and reasons for choosing a book. Some members audition books, to make sure they’re choosing one they really want to share. Others are less particular, knowing the interaction adds to the experience.

Would we have read Wicked by Gregory Maguire if Jean’s daughter-in-law hadn’t raved about it? Probably not—but then, we’d have missed a seriously weird-ass book and an evening of green food. We would not have read Montana Women, the story of two sisters in the 1950s, if author Toni Volk had not rented Pauline’s guest house.

Joan loves rereading classics: Madame Bovary, Catcher in the Rye, and Willa Cather’s My Mortal Enemy. Others approach them with trepidation, not wanting to sully the memory of our “first time.” Consider Catcher in the Rye—neither story nor voice is as appealing to an adult reader as to a fifteen-year-old discovering it for the first time and realizing they are not alone in their fears and anxieties.

My own choices have not always been hits: One member reads the popular Montana writer Ivan Doig reluctantly, and groaned when I chose his first book, This House of Sky, a memoir of his sheep-ranching boyhood. I wanted to reread it while working on a historical novel (still unfinished) set in central Montana, to immerse myself in that land. Several members grew up in Montana in the same decades as Doig, and I loved hearing their stories when we gathered. Earlier this year, another member chose Doig’s latest, The Bartender’s Tale, and the reluctant reader admitted enjoying it. It tops my list so far this year. It reminded me, as did The Whistling Season, that some writers simply aren’t convincing storytellers when they stray from their natural subject matter. Doig is at his best in the voice of a young boy verging on adolescence, discovering family secrets, and beginning to see the world in a new light.

Some readers have a higher tolerance for challenging books than others: Arvind Adiga’s satirical novel, The White Tiger, upset one reader who thought it a harsh and unfair portrayal of modern India. Jennifer Egan’s Goon Squad, Jasper Fforde’s The Eyre Affair, and José Saramago’s Death with Interruptions delighted some and baffled others. My choice of Toni Morrison’s The Mercy forced me to be creative with the food for the evening—no theme dinner opportunities—and to explain why I so admired a book about such a difficult subject: the varieties of slavery in early America. (I’ve read it three times.) And when we discussed my choice of Aimee Bender’s The Peculiar Sadness of Lemon Cake, we had a lively debate about the boundaries of the senses—over lemon tart.

It’s been a gift to meet unfamiliar books: the richly exotic Silk by Allesandro Baracci, The Moonflower Vine by Jetta Carleton, and the delicious The Bastard of Istanbul by Elif Shafak. (Talk about theme food options!) And popular books I might have skipped: the haunting A Thousand Splendid Suns by Khalid Hosseini, the fast-paced evocation of the 1930s, The Rules of Civility by Amor Towles, and the delightful but poignant The Guernsey Literary & Potato Peel Pie Society by Mary Anne Schaeffer and Annie Burrows.

Occasionally, we’ve all loved the book—which can shorten discussion, although a social or political issue may spark conversations beyond the page: Jamie Ford’s Hotel at the Corner of Bitter and Sweet prompted a discussion of the treatment of Chinese and Japanese Americans during “the war,” as well as “the road not taken.” For me, it prompted thoughts of a landscape destroyed by progress—my work in progress is set in Seattle, as is Ford’s book, and the area where his characters lived is vastly changed, much of it lost first to industrialization and now to professional sports arenas. I think of those characters as I write, wanting to keep in my mind the influence of their lives and experiences on the city and its current residents.

The best discussion ever has to have been of the one book we all hated, A Reliable Wife, by Robert Goldrick. I felt badly for Peggy, our newest member at the time: her first choice had been unavailable, so she settled for a bookseller’s last-minute recommendation. But we laughed so hard—and her coconut cake was so good—that the book quickly became beside the point.

Like many writers, I keep a notebook filled with observations on everything I read, noting what works for me and what doesn’t, phrases I like, things I’d do differently. It’s richer because I spend an evening a month with women who love to read and to cook, and who encourage me as a writer. So, to paraphrase Stephen King, if you want to write, join a book club!


Leave a comment this weekend to enter the drawing for a free copy of Death al Dente!
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Death al Dente, first in the Food Lovers' Village Mysteries, debuted from Berkley Prime Crime on August 6. The series is set in a small, lakeside resort community in Northwest Montana, on the road to Glacier Park, near where author Leslie Budewitz lives. Leslie is also a lawyer. Her first book, Books, Crooks & Counselors: How to Write Accurately About Criminal Law & Courtroom Procedure (Quill Driver Books) won the 2011 Agatha Award for Best Nonfiction. Visit her at http://www.LeslieBudewitz.com.

Mystery Times Two... or Three

By Sandra Parshall

More and more mystery authors are producing two or even three series simultaneously, and I have to admit they make me feel like a slug. I admire their hard work and dedication to their writing careers, but I always wonder why they do it and whether it interferes with their personal lives. So I posed those two questions to a few friends who are on the fast track with multiple series.

Deb Baker began with the Gertie Johnson series set in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan, then added the Gretchen Birch Dolls to Die For series. She now writes the Queen Bee Mysteries as Hannah Reed. Don’t be surprised if she brings out yet another new series sometime soon. 

Why do you do it? Is your imagination overflowing with ideas that demand outlets, are you just a workaholic, or do you have another reason?

At the beginning, I couldn’t sell a thing and had multiple books circulating. Finally, a publisher offered a three book contract for one of them, and three weeks later another publisher made an offer for three books in another. How could I say no? That decision produced a long period of high stress accompanied by an insidious fear that I couldn’t do it. But somehow I managed. As my writing experience grew and my characters developed, the stories came faster and faster. It now takes me between 3 and 4 months to produce a novel, if I can stay focused.

How does the work load affect your life -- and do you ever wish you had more free time?

I love my work, so it’s all play for me! My family and friends are important, so I make time for them. But I never feel the need to go on vacation to escape my desk. Instead, I’m lucky enough to have arranged a life I don’t need to run from.

Clea Simon writes the Dulcie Schwatrz series for Poisoned Pen Press and the Pru Marlowe Pet Noir series for Severn. Both feature cats prominently.

Why do you do it?  

I began doing concurrent series by accident. I had one ms. out circulating (Shades of Grey - YEARS before the S&M erotica of the same name - my first Dulcie Schwartz feline mystery) and then I finished another (Dogs Don't Lie, my first Pru Marlowe pet noir), because that's what you do while you're waiting for something to sell. Then both sold, and both publishers wanted the books to be the start of a series. I love them both, so I said, sure. At the time, the scheduling seemed reasonable. I do try to keep notes for both series current, because sometimes I'll have a Pru thought while I'm working on Dulcie and vice versa. It's a little difficult to switch between the voices -- I get caught up in whichever I'm working on -- but it does keep life interesting.
How does the work load affect your life -- and do you ever wish you had more free time?

RIght now, I have no life. I have one ms. due May 31 and one due on June 1. I have one ms. fully drafted and another nearly drafted, so I'll switch off and revise one, then revise the other, but it's a little too close for comfort. 

I should have been working on these books much earlier, but I was both waiting for contracts to be renewed and also dealing with some family issues, and so... I put them off. So, well, I guess I had my free time! Once these are in, I'll be able to relax. At least until the edits come back.
 
Sheila Connolly began her career by writing the work-for-hire Glassblower Mysteries for Berkley under the pseudonym Sarah Atwell. The first in the series was nominated for an Agatha Award. Now she divides her time between the Orchard Series, the Museum Series, and a new series set in Ireland. 

Why do you do it?

Multiple reasons. (1) When I first started writing, I had to justify to myself (and probably to my husband, although he didn't voice it) that I was taking the whole writing thing seriously and working hard at it. (2) I wanted to explore different approaches within the genre, which is how I ended up with one series set in rural Massachusetts, one in center city Philadelphia, and one in another country altogether. (3) I think I must be a workaholic, because I feel guilty every time I do something that isn't writing related, like house repairs or gardening. But then, I find most (not all!) aspects of writing fun, so I'm not exactly suffering. 

I have to say, I did not start out with any plan in mind, because I had no clue how long it would take to write a book, much less how time-consuming all the secondary stuff would be. The multiple series kind of came organically, once I figured out my own pacing.

I should add that after the Sarah Atwell series, all mine are ones that I chose and developed. I'm sure Berkley would be happy to have me write another one of their pre-fab series, but I'm not interested.
 
How does the work load affect your life -- and do you ever wish you had more free time?

Not really, because it's kind of a seamless life. Genealogy has long been my primary hobby, and at times my professional occupation, and in all of my books I get to indulge that (although not so much for my own family tree). I love to travel, and I've found a way to visit all my favorite places--and make it tax-deductible! I love being my own boss and keeping my own hours, but in fact that may take up more time than any full-time job outside the home did, since I'm at my desk by eight most days, and I work weekends. But I do it because I love it--and when it all comes together, it's better than sex, drugs and rock and roll. Occasionally.

Lorraine Bartlett/Lorna Barrett began with the Jeff Resnick series, written as L.L. Bartlett. She now writes the Booktown Mysteries as Lorna Barrett and the Victoria Square Mysteries under her own name.
    

   



















Why do you do it?

I have tons of ideas for new stories/series, and I am most definitely a workaholic. (On my last vacation in January, I wrote 46,000 words spread over four different projects (and in 3 weeks). Three of those projects are already for sale as e titles.)

How does the work load affect your life -- and do you ever wish you had more free time?

What’s free time?

 


Leslie Budewitz, a Montana attorney, won an Agatha Award for Books, Crooks, and Counselors, a guide for authors who write about crime and the law. Her first love is fiction, though, and although her first mystery in the       Food Lovers Village series won’t be out until August, she’s already under contract to write the Seattle Spice Shop Mysteries (coming in 2014).

Why do you do it? 

Ever since I was a small girl, my dream has been to write fiction. Now that I have the opportunity, I want to make the most of it. I have always been a very “placed” writer, aware of how strongly setting influences our perspective and experiences. Writing two series allows me to explore that more deeply.

How does your heavy writing schedule affect your life? Do you ever wish you had more free time?
 
I can write two series only because my day job is winding down and I’d rather write than find another. My conversation does seem to revolve around writing, though! And I’m hoping for a garden fairy to show up soon and plant a few veggies. Truth be told, I’m a better, happier person when I spend a good deal of my time with people who only exist because I made them up. With two series going, I should be really happy –so far, so good!

Reading as a Writer

Leslie Budewitz

At Left Coast Crime in Seattle two weeks ago, a woman asked me what I liked to read. Her question, and three days of hanging out with readers, only some of whom are also writers, prompted a realization. Or maybe it’s a confession:

I am not a normal reader.

And I’m kind of sorry about that.

Writers are readers, too, of course, but some conferences – and LCC Seattle was one of them – are programmed with a focus on the readers who aren’t writers. Writers adore these readers. Readers admire writers, ask about their days, their process, when the next novel or story is being published. Even where they get their ideas, a question that the much-published often scorn but that I’m still new enough to enjoy answering.

Readers who go to cons aren’t just potential buyers. They’re the heart of the writing world, the people we do this for. The people we want to satisfy most, after ourselves. They’re the people we once were.

They can sit for hours in front of the fire with a good book, and sometimes even a bad one, only getting up for more tea or a visit to the bathroom. I miss that. Me, I’m reading with a notebook nearby where I jot down an image that works or doesn’t, note an awkward sentence, question the use of point of view. I read wondering if some detail is going to play out later in the story the way I think it is, or if it’s a red herring. Or worse, a bit of sloppy writing that diverts me for no good reason. I’m reading with one eye on the magician’s hands and the other on the curtain, asking How did she do that?

Readers don’t feel compelled to finish a book just to see if the writer can pull it off.

Readers keep reading a series they enjoy without feeling like they can’t spend the time on a book they’re not likely to learn new tricks from, or that they should be reading the new hot thing.

Readers choose a book because it looks good, not because they want to know why it made the NY Times Bestseller list despite lousy reviews, or why it got great reviews but tanked.

Last weekend, Judy Clemens wrote here about discovering mysteries. And what she described started with her love of the genre, how she couldn’t wait to find out what Lord Peter said to Harriet Vane next, how she scoured bookstores in unfamiliar towns for new discoveries. Only later did she realize she could try writing the kinds of books she loved to read.

I am convinced that when I started writing fiction, my work took the shape of a mystery because that’s what I’d been reading and listening to. I’d been working several days a week in a city 45 miles from home, a city whose library held an excellent audio collection. Many of those tapes – and they were tapes, back then – were mysteries: Sue Grafton, Sara Paretsky, Tony Hillerman, Ellis Peters, Elizabeth Peters. What I loved to read became what I needed to write.

Writers, remember that connection that first brought you to the page. Remember the joy. Your readers want that experience, too; honor their passion. Take time to relive that experience yourself. Pick up a book you last read ten years ago – or one you’ve been saving for a snowy day – and read it again for sheer fun. Leave your review notebook by your desk, and keep your bottom in your reading chair. Stay up too late reading just because it’s fun.

The more you do that, the more that joy will dust your own manuscripts.

In the spirit of remembering the books that brought us here, let me paraphrase Jane Eyre: Reader, I thank you.


Leslie Budewitz is a published short story writer with novels in progress. She provides legal research for writers through Law & Fiction, www.lawandfiction.com.