Miss Maggie on First

This week's weirdness is that I've been playing Wii baseball.

I've loved baseball since age 6 when I started watching Phillies games on TV with my dad. Every nice day after school, I'd go out to the back yard and throw a tennis ball against the porch step, trying to get it to hit just right, so it would bounce back to me and I could practice catching. I improved my skills enough that the boys in the back alley always chose me for their teams before choosing their brothers. Came as a hard blow to discover I couldn't aspire to be a baseball player because they didn't take girls. Since our town had no local women's softball team, my baseball career ended.

A couple weeks ago, I began reliving my childhood by playing Wii baseball (part of a scheme to get my derriere off my desk chair and get some exercise).  When you play alone on Wii, the system gives you a team of different avatars (animated people).  You bat for all of them.  Each time I play, the system gives me a different set of people, so it's hard to think of them as a team.  I did notice, however, that it always put my brother's avatar on my team as catcher.  So I decided to create another avatar.  And why create a character from scratch when I've got a bunch of series characters to choose from?  So Miss Maggie, my 91 year-old sidekick character, became my first baseman.

The process of making an avatar is interesting.  You can choose body types, face shape, hair and eye color, you name it.  Of course, it gives you limited choices, so Miss Maggie had to settle for gray hair instead of her usual white.  But I was able to give her a shirt that's greenish-yellow, her favorite color.  The avatar doesn't really look at all as I picture Miss Maggie.  Still, when I play baseball, there's now always a familiar face on first base, her reading glasses hanging from her nose, her wrinkled face frowning in concentration as she makes a catch.

You'd think, since I'm holding the controller, that the Miss Maggie avatar would act and play exactly like my own, but she doesn't.  Don't ask me why.  Maybe Wii adjusts for height (Miss Maggie's shorter than me), and probably my own subconscious adjusts for attitude.  I do know that Miss Maggie is an amazing Wii jet skier.  I can't even stay on the course.

The whole experience has begun to show me what I know and don't know about characters who have been living in my brain for 10 years.  I'm in the process of creating a Beth Ann Lee avatar (to cover second base).  Yet I'm not ready to do one of her father.  I realized I don't even know what Hugh's favorite color is.  Which means Pat doesn't know what his favorite color is.  That gives me fodder for an argument in book five (insert evil laugh).  As for Pat, I think I know her well enough to figure it'll take some coaxing to get her to play Wii Sports at all.  She'd rather be in the kitchen.

I've named my Wii baseball team the Fightin' Compression Sox.

Go C-Sox!
Elena

Remember Thou Art Dust

Mystery writers have to deal with death in their books.  Ash Wednesday seems an appropriate day to talk about it.

I set the historical portion of my 4th novel during the week before Franklin Roosevelt was inaugurated in 1933.  He stepped into office on Saturday, but had already begun changes by declaring a bank holiday the day before.  Banks didn't open again until their books had been examined and approved--the first step to pulling America out of the Great Depression.   By coincidence, two days before that was Ash Wednesday, the day Christians are supposed to remember their mortal nature.  To me, this seemed a perfect tie-in for a murder mystery.

I'm guessing most mystery writers don't have much first-hand experience viewing violent death.  I don't (and hope I never do).  Quite possibly most writers haven't seen someone die at all.  In these modern times, society has become quite efficient at hiding the act of dying behind the closed doors of hospitals and nursing homes, so people who don't want to see or deal with death, don't have to.

Until 2007, my only brushes with death had been attendance at viewings.  Then, over the course of 18 months, I became a caregiver for my mom, then my dad.  Both became hospice patients.  Through some odd twist of fate, my aunt and 2 friends also became hospice patients at the same time, and an uncle a year later.  So in the last 4 years, I've sat with 6 people who were actively dying.  My dad and my aunt both died as I held their hands.  My mom waited until we'd all gone out of the room.  My mom was like that.

Hospice, I found, is more than just waiting for a sad event.  Physically, of course, it's messy, but not as much as I expected.  Philosophically, it can be rather beautiful, like walking a loved one out to the garden gate before sending them the rest of the way on their own.  And surprisingly, you can find humor in the situation.  In fact, caregivers who don't find humor in it will make themselves ill and everyone else miserable.

One thing, though, in all cases--keeping that final vigil with hospice patients made me think about my own mortality, but not in a scary or depressing way.  In fact, the most unsettling part is wondering if I'd have someone to sit with me when I'm on my way out.

Hospice is in many ways a return to a traditional way of treating a dying person, all the more so when it's done at home.  The first century of mystery writers--Edgar Allan Poe, Arthur Conan Doyle, Agatha Christie--all of them experienced hospice with a loved one.  I think all of their characters had a more grounded attitude toward death.  In their books, death itself wasn't the enemy, evil was--the kind of evil that produces an untimely, unnatural, and uncomforting death.

In too many modern novels (and on TV and in the movies), death has become very two-dimensional.  Dying has more facets, both for the victim and the survivors.  I don't think it would hurt a few mystery writers to remember they are dust and to dust they shall return.  After all, death is our ultimate mystery.

Enough of that.  Time to go get soot smeared on my forehead.

Peace,
Elena

FEAR ITSELF Trailer and Answers to Contest #2

Book trailers are becoming popular so I decided to make one for FEAR ITSELF.  As an advertisement, it's not Superbowl worthy, but it's short, painless, and gives you an idea what you'll find in the book.  The background tune is best described as Miss Maggie walking music (actually, the original 78 RPM version of "Brother Can You Spare A Dime.")  Enjoy!


ANSWERS TO MISS MAGGIE'S 2ND QUIZ

The answers to the second Never Fear Fear Itself Contest quiz are

1.  Sojourner Truth not only helped recruit black troops for the Union cause, but, after the Civil War, worked among freed slaves with the National Freedman's Relief Association.  Besides that she often spoke about the plight of black women, and rights for all women.  So the answer is D - All of the above.

2.  I had it pointed out to me that my wording was poor in the second question.  Joseph Rainey, of South Carolina, was the first African American elected to the House of Representatives in a general election (in 1870).  Hiram Revels was the first black man to serve in Congress, as a senator from Mississippi, but he was appointed (earlier in 1870 than Rainey served).  However,  the Mississippi legislature held an election amongst themselves to choose Revels.  Since I didn't specify "general election" in the question, I accepted both answers A and B.

3.  The Voting Rights Act of 1965 prohibited states from imposing their own voting registration qualifications, so C is the correct answer.  The reason this ended up giving more minorities the right to vote was because many states had enacted laws creating prerequisites to voting registration--such as literacy tests--to limit minority voting.

This month's winners are Suzanne Pontius and Penny Tuttle.  Questions for Contest #3 will show up right here in mid-March.  Study up on your Revolutionary War and pre-Constitution American history.

Down with tyranny, here and abroad,
Elena

Who Says What and How Often?

I've written other blogs about voice, but I'm a bit obsessed by the subject this week.  For one thing, I don't have much of a voice myself right now.  Normal speaking tones feel like shouts in my throat.  I tried to sing along with the song "Yesterday" on the radio last week.  Paul McCartney could sing higher than I could.  The longest I ever had to wait for a body part to heal was 6 weeks (a broken toe).  I'm told my speaking voice will likely take 3-4 months to heal, and my singing voice could be 6 months to 2 years.  And patience isn't one of my virtues.

Besides that, I've also been thinking about the way people speak because I'm working on rewrites for FEAR ITSELF.  These particular revisions are the easiest kind--the sort where the proofreader tells me that I used certain words too often.  All I had to do was search for those words, then decide if the word could be changed in each instance.  Words repeated too often are a common problem of any first draft manuscript.  While your brain is trying to get the story down, you don't always notice that you, for instance, put the phrase "even so" three times on one page.

But this time--since I have "voice" on the brain, and since one of my online mystery groups was discussing the overuse of cuss words in some books--I began to think of too-often used words and phrases in character terms.  Not everyone in a book should curse and the ones who do shouldn't use the same words or phrases. Otherwise, it's difficult to tell characters apart.  Shortened versions of certain words, like 'em for them, or 'cause for because, or 'til for until?  Each of those might also be uttered by only one or two characters, to make the voices clearer and not overuse the words.

Unique phrases, especially, ought to be reserved for one voice.  Tony Hillerman often used "so forth" at the end of a sentence after a comma (with no "and" before it).  This never bothered me until he had more than one character say it.  I'd come to think of it as the unique speaking trait of the detective.  When another character said the phrase, I was pulled out the story.  What if Agatha Christie had given "mon ami" to both Poirot and Hastings?  It wouldn't have worked.  Yet Poirot alone can say it often and it doesn't seem odd.

Even so, mon ami, peace, so forth,
Elena

Contest Quiz # 2 - Win a Nifty Prize!

Here is Miss Maggie's next history quiz for the Never Fear Fear Itself Contest.  The 2nd book in the Possessed Mystery Series is HANG MY HEAD & CRY, which deals with newly freed black slaves in the 1870s, voting rights of the 1960s, and intolerance in all eras.  Since this is Black History Month, it ties in perfectly.

Send your answers to the quiz below, along with your full name, to MissMaggieTests@gmail.com.  All entries who ace the quiz will be entered in a drawing to win the free signed book of their choice from the Possessed Mystery Series or DAME AGATHA'S SHORTS.  If you have all 4 books already and can't think of anyone who'd like one as a gift, tell me that on your entry.  Another prize will be selected for you.  If no one aces the quiz, the person with the best score will win the book.  Entries not selected in this drawing will be eligible for later drawings.  I'll post a third quiz in March (bone up on your colonial history), then we'll do a grand prize drawing in April, which will be for a hot-off-the-press signed copy of FEAR ITSELF.

Only entries sent to MissMaggieTests@gmail.com will be eligible.  Deadline for entries for the quiz below will be February 28, 2011.  Winners will be announced March 1st.

QUIZ

1.  The photo above is of Sojourner Truth, an escaped slave and revivalist preacher who

a.  in her "Ain't I a Woman?" speech, spoke about the plight of black women, and right for all women.
b.  helped recruit black troops for the Union cause.
c.  after the Civil War, worked among freed slaves with the National Freedman's Relief Association.
d.  All of the above.


2.  Who was the first African American elected to the U.S. Congress?

a.  Hiram Revels, of Mississippi
b.  Joseph Rainey, of South Carolina
c.  George Henry White, of North Carolina
d.  Oscar De Priest, of Illinois


3.  The Voting Rights Act of 1965

a.  gave African Americans the right to vote
b.  gave women the right to vote
c.  prohibited states from imposing their own voting registration qualifications
d.  gave Congress the authority to regulate the voting process

Good Luck!
Elena

On The Air

Before I begin, I must mention that each week until my next novel, FEAR ITSELF, comes out in April, Miss Maggie will post an early 1930s video on her Facebook page.  She has everything from Will Rogers to Mickey Mouse planned.  Click on the link to the left to get in on the fun.

This winter has been relentless in its snow and ice storms, so I've spent most of my time at home the last month.  I would have gone stir crazy weeks ago if I hadn't found a slew of old radio plays online.

Radio plays have so much to teach a writer, I could probably write 3 or 4 blogs on each aspect (and maybe I will).  Unlike TV, radio dramas have no sets, costumes, props, gestures, facial expressions, or body language.  They can't rely on simple visual action to convey plot.  Radio plays are told mainly with words, and so they have more in common with novels than other types of media.

Still, radio plays shouldn't be confused with audio books.  Radio plays, like the stage variety, employ several actors and at least one sound effects man.  If you've ever watched a radio play performed live, you know sound effects is an art unto itself, and greatly enhances the telling of the story.  But also, radio plays are often skillful adaptations of books or stage plays, or original plays themselves, made to fit into a half hour or one hour slot.  They cut all the non-essentials out and hone in on the vital parts of a story.  Some, of course, are more successful than others.  I listened to an Orson Welles adaptation of Thornton Wilder's Our Town the other day that I thought worked beautifully.  Last week, I heard a play based on the novel (not the musical) Showboat. That, it seemed to me, was too abridged.  Though worth the listen because the author, Edna Ferber, played the part of the captain's wife, and was very good indeed.

Agatha Christie wrote radio plays.  Her most famous stage play, The Mousetrap began life as a 30 minute radio play called Three Blind Mice (written in honor of the Queen Mother's Birthday), then she rewrote the plot into a short story, then into the two-act play from there.  Unfortunately, it's pretty much impossible to listen to one of her plays online.  However, a few of her books were adapted for radio.  I highly recommend The Campbell Playhouse adaptation of The Murder of Roger Ackroyd, in which Orson Welles plays both Hercule Poirot and Dr. Shepherd.  Other mysteries under the link above include The 39 Steps, The Immortal Sherlock Holmes, and Rebecca (with a Daphne Du Maurier interview at the end).  And don't miss the infamous War of the Worlds.

You can find a great apaptation of The Thin Man on Lux Radio Theater, as well as many good comedies and dramas.  And for the hard-core mystery fan, try CBS Radio Mystery Theater.

I also must mention a modern-day radio program called Prairie Home Companion.  You can hear it Saturday nights at 6 pm by tuning your radio to NPR, but you can also find the show's archives online at prairiehome.publicradio.org/programs.  This is a variety show but writers ought to pay particular attention to the skits.  It's amazing how they can weave elaborate and incredibly funny tales into a 4 to 10 minute time slot.  Plus, their sound effects man is an artist.  The video above is one of their "Lives of the Cowboys" skits and seemed especially appropriate to this winter.  Enjoy!

Peace (and keep warm),
Elena

Contest Results and Working in the Real World

First, I'm pleased to announce that 3 students aced Miss Maggie's Civil War quiz: Debra Eisert, Mary Chamberlain, and Helen Delano.  Since we only had 3 star pupils, I've decided they each should win a free book.  Look here for Contest 2 around the middle of February.

Working in the Real World

One of the first pieces of advice a novice writer hears from the pros is "Don't quit your day job."  So what did I do last month?  I quit my day job.

I've quit at least 4 jobs in my lifetime, yet all for non-writing-related reasons.  This last time was because the job was effecting my health.  Sometimes I've quit because I decided I can't work for people better suited to be the bad guys in my books.  If you've read By Blood Possessed or any of my short stories set in offices, you know how I feel about the bad guys of corporate America.

Still, I'm not by nature a quitter.  I've had a slew of other jobs, all temporary for one reason or another.  Altogether I've been a retail clerk, school teacher, National Park guide, receptionist, data processor, and done every ilk of accounting, filing and other administrative jobs.  Oh, and I've been a proofreader, too. My finest moment was proofreading a brochure for a sex therapy lecture given by Dr. Ruth herself.

My mother would say I still haven't settled down.  Me?  I think I'm the kind of writer who needs to glean experiences from different sources, then move on.  Though, frankly, the need to pay pills tends to make me wait until I'm laid off or the job makes me physically ill or disgusted enough to quit.

I wrote By Blood Possessed while I was unemployed.  Hang My Head and Cry was written mostly in the hiatuses between temp agency jobs.  Poison to Purge Melancholy came together in the idle months before I took my last job.  Book 4, Fear Itself, was written while employed, but at the time, I had a boss who understood that I have a vocation outside of office work.

At the moment, I'm not grieving over the loss of my job.  With all the snow this winter, and the fact that my home parking spot is off of an alley that never gets plowed, it's just as well I don't have a compelling reason leave the house.

Yet I know, eventually, I'll get out there and start looking for gainful employment again.  Not only do I have the need to pay bills, but this writer, anyway, can't write in a vacuum.  It's not simply a matter of needing to observe human nature--I can go sit in a mall food court or ride trains in and out of the city to do that.  The thing is, with each position I've had, I've been thrown in with a diverse group of individuals, from all walks of life.  Some love their jobs.  The majority, at best, only like their jobs.  All are there because they must be or lose their livelihoods, and for some, their healthcare.  All have different motives for needing to keep their jobs.  A workplace, for a writer, is an encyclopedia of human psychology.

So when I say "Don't quit your day job" to a novice writer, I'm not merely commenting on the reality of most writers not being able to make a living from published works.  I'm saying don't take yourself out of the real world.  Your writing will suffer.

Peace,
Elena