It's A Mystery Blog

Writing Fight Scenes, Martial Arts, and Life

06/29/2024 / / 0 Comments

Sometimes writing is about re-inventing your life.

Back in April of 2016, I wanted to write a fight scene for a mystery, but I had no clue how to start. Being all about real life research, I checked for martial arts schools near me. One offered a free trial of a week of classes. Perfect.  I planned to take a class or two, then write my scene. End of story.

The instructor at the school taught Wing Chun, a type of close-combat kung fu. Close, as in fists flying in your face. I would never, ever have expected it, but I loved the first class. I have been taking Wing Chun classes ever since and it has been life changing. Studying Wing Chun has strengthened my body, my mind, my ability to focus, and my self confidence.

But it didn’t stop there. During the Covid pandemic in 2020, I tried another martial art, Tai Chi. The advantage was I could still practice with social distancing in place. Although in many ways Wing Chun and Tai Chi are diametrically-opposed (close and fast movements versus slow and far apart), they also complement each other.

Imagine my delight when I discovered Carla Hoch also started her martial arts journey from being a writer. You can hear her story, as well as the benefits of studying martial arts, in the video.

 

Carla Hoch now teaches people how to write fight scenes. She has turned her experiences into a book, Fight Write:  How to Write Believable Fight Scenes.

 

(Note:  Links go to Amazon. I am an Amazon affiliate so if you chose to purchase the book, I will receive a small commission at no extra charge to you.)

Carla blogs at  FightWrite.net, with such fascinating topics as how to write about injuries due to magic. Cool!

  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ Writer’s Digest Books (June 11, 2019)
  • Paperback ‏ : ‎ 240 pages
  • ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 1440300720
  • ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-1440300721

Has writing ever changed your life?

Mystery Most Devious Anthology Released

05/02/2024 / / 0 Comments

Big news:  Mystery Most Devious, the newest Malice Domestic anthology was released last weekend in conjunction with the conference April 26 and 27, 2024 in Bethusda, MD.  Better news:  my short story, “Bodyguard of Lies” is included! The anthology is currently available from Wildside Press and also from Amazon.

Isn’t the cover fabulous?

According to the blurb, Mystery Most Devious features mysteries in the Agatha Christie tradition, but with a devious new twist.

My short story is a contemporary mystery set in Toronto.

I want to thank Claire A Murray, current president of SINC Desert Sleuths, for bringing the Malice Domestic call for submissions to my attention. A SINC Desert Sleuths’ lecture by Mr. Kurt Hammer in November 2022 about the US Postal Inspection Service inspired some of the details.

I also want to thank my fabulous critique partners for their feedback –which made the story so much better– and for being willing to work on a short deadline.  I owe you more than I can say.

The Details

Edited by John Betancourt, Michael Bracke, and Carla Coupe

Introduction by Michael Bracken

Stories by:

Susan Love Brown
Jackie McMahon
Mary Adler
Leone Ciporin
Sue Anger
Sarah Stephens
P.A. De Voe
*Roberta Gibson*
Jill K. Quinn
Jennifer Slee
Ashley-Ruth M. Bernier
Joslyn Chase
Christine Eskilson
Linda Norlander
Smita Harish Jain
Hope Hodgkins
Josh Pachter

Wrong Turn Anthology Now Available

09/04/2023 / / 0 Comments

Look for my short story “Hitman Walked Into A Romance”  in the newest Sisters in Crime Desert Sleuths Anthology Book 10, So West:  Wrong Turn.  It is available now via Amazon.

Read these engaging tales of assassins, serial killers, family, motherhood, survival, trust, abuse, escape, blackmail, espionage, and romance … where one wrong turn made a difference.

Join us at The Poisoned Pen Bookstore in Scottsdale, Arizona on September 22, 2023 for the author signing and launch party.

SoWest: Wrong Turn authors (** indicates first fiction publication):

Patricia A. Bonn ♦ Lauren Buckingham ♦ Susan Budavari ♦ Jo Burrough** ♦
William D. Butler ♦ Meg E Dobson ♦ Suzanne E Flaig ♦ Roberta Gibson ♦
Laura MacKenzie** ♦ Kim McCavan ♦ Kathy McIntosh ♦ Susan Cummins Miller ∙
Claire A Murray ♦ D.R. Ransdell ♦ Paula Barr Skillicorn ♦ Joseph S. Walker

Cover Design: Maegan Beaumont
Submissions Coordinator/Proofreader: Margaret C. Morse
Lead Editor: Claire A Murray
Co-Editors: Meg E Dobson, Suzanne Flaig, Sarah Smith

Wrong Turn Anthology Coming Out In September

06/14/2023 / / 0 Comments

Where have I been? Writing of course. But now it’s time to warm up the blog again because I’ve got some news.

So excited to announce that my short suspense story “Hitman Walked into a Romance” will be published in the next Desert Sleuths Anthology,  So West:Wrong Turn. It will be released in time for our annual WriteNow conference around September 22, 2023. Stay tuned for details!

 

#BookBeginnings The Woman in the Library

09/22/2022 / / 4 Comments

Today I have The Woman in the Library by Sulari Gentill for Book Beginnings on Fridays, which ironically I picked up at the library.

Book Beginnings is a fun meme hosted by Rose City Reader blog. To participate, share the first sentence or so of a novel you are reading and your thoughts about it. When you are finished, add your URL to the Book Beginnings page linked above. Hope to see you there!

 

book-beginnings-Gershkowitz

The Woman in the Library* by Sulari Gentill

(*Amazon Affiliate link- As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.)

Summary:   The Woman in the Library  is a complex story told in the form of metafiction.

First Sentence:

Dear Hannah,

What are you writing?

I expect you’ve started something new by now.

The Woman in the Library starts with a letter that is part of an ongoing correspondence between two writers, from Leo who is in Boston to Hannah who lives in Australia.

Chapter One is the beginning of Hannah’s manuscript, a novel within a novel.

Writing in the Boston Public Library had been a mistake. It was too magnificent.

The narrator is a young Australian in Boston for a writing program. She meets three others under strange circumstances at in the Reading Room at the Boston Public Library.  When a woman is killed at the library, they are drawn into the mystery.

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The Friday 56 is hosted by Freda’s Voice. The premise is simple. Turn to page 56 in the book and pick a quote.

 

Detective Kelly asks us to come into the station to give our statements.

This is from Hannah’s novel. As you can see, it is written in the present tense.

Notes:

At first I was a bit confused about what was going on with the alternating letters and manuscript, but by the end of Chapter One I was all in.  This book is a wry bit of metafiction that will keep readers highly entertained, particularly readers who are also writers.

To me, the chapters which were supposed to be the “manuscript” seemed the most real. It was easy to get caught up in the story and the characters, more so than the “letters”.

The Woman in the Library offers a lot to think about on many levels.

What do you think? Do you enjoy metafiction? Have you read a novel by Sulari Gentill?

#BookBeginnings Razorblade Tears

06/09/2022 / / 8 Comments

 

I’ve been hearing a lot of praise for S. A. Cosby’s Razorblade Tears, so I thought I’d share it for Book Beginnings on Fridays.

Book Beginnings is a fun meme hosted by Rose City Reader blog. To participate, share the first sentence or so of a novel you are reading and your thoughts about it. When you are finished, add your URL to the Book Beginnings page linked above. Hope to see you there!

 

book-beginnings-SA-Cosby

Razorblade Tears*by S.A. Cosby

(*Amazon Affiliate link- As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.)

Summary:  When someone murders Isiah Randolph and his husband Derek Lee, their fathers Ike and Buddy join forces to find out who killed them. Both ex-cons, Ike and Buddy must overcome their prejudices about not only their sons, but also each other in a quest for revenge and possibly redemption.

First Sentence:

Ike tried to remember a time when men with badges coming to his door early in the morning brought anything other than heartache and misery, but try as he might, nothing came to mind.

Discussion:

Wow, that first paragraph grabbed me and I couldn’t stop reading until I got to the bottom of the page.

I’ve been holding off reading this book because it contains violence, perhaps more violence than my normal reading comfort zone. I wasn’t the only one with concerns. There’s a question on GoodReads, about the level of violence, too.  Everyone says yes, there’s graphic violence, but thus far the consensus is that it’s a good book anyway. I’m beginning to see what they mean after only reading the first page.

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The Friday 56 is hosted by Freda’s Voice. The premise is simple. Turn to page 56 in the book and pick a quote.

 

Essential Events Bakery was housed in a cavernous building with high ceilings and multiple skylights tinted a light green…Ike could taste sugar in the air and smell bread baking.

Cosby sneaks some beautiful writing in between the action scenes.

Maybe I will concentrate on those and skim the gory bits

What do you think?  Have you ever skimmed the gory parts of a novel that you liked otherwise?

#BookBeginnings Exit Strategy by @LindaLRichards

05/20/2022 / / 5 Comments

Today I’m reading Exit Strategy by Linda L. Richards for Book Beginnings on Fridays.

Book Beginnings is a fun meme hosted by Rose City Reader blog. To participate, share the first sentence or so of a novel you are reading and your thoughts about it. When you are finished, add your URL to the Book Beginnings page linked above. Hope to see you there!

 

book-beginnings-Gershkowitz

Exit Strategy* by Linda L. Richards

(*Amazon Affiliate link- As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.)

This novel is a sequel to Endings. It just came out this week.

Summary:   A killer for hire is rattled by her most recent hit, and therefore her handler assigns her to do something new. Her job is to protect Virginia Martin, who is about to change the world with an invention that turns garbage into energy.  Can she  make the transition from being a hitwoman to being a bodyguard?

First Sentence:

He proves to be a genial companion. I never doubted that he would.

Discussion:

The poor guy is on a date with a killer for hire? Uh oh. I have a feeling he’s in real trouble.

The book is written in first person –from the point of view of the hitwoman– and present tense. By in large the sentences are short and packed with action verbs. Those choices make it a compelling book to read.

56

The Friday 56 is hosted by Freda’s Voice. The premise is simple. Turn to page 56 in the book and pick a quote.

 

When I leave the salon, I am beautiful. I can feel it. My hair bounces around me …I feel my hair springing around me as I walk out of the salon and all I want to do is cry, reminded of what was long lost.

 

What an abrupt change in her mood.  I’m not sure what is going on. Perhaps I should have started with the first novel in the series.

After reading:

In many thrillers, the protagonist has a flat character arc, that is, his or her job is the change the world rather than being changed by it. In those kind of books, it is easier to simply pick them up in any order. Lee Child’s Reacher series is a prime example.

In Exit Strategy, the protagonist is definitely on a journey that is changing her.  Because that journey started in the first book of the series, Endings, I recommend reading it first.

What do you think? Have you read a novel by Linda L. Richards?

#BookBeginnings Scot Free by Catriona McPherson

05/13/2022 / / 9 Comments

This week I’m reading Scot Free by Catriona McPherson for Book Beginnings on Fridays.

Book Beginnings is a fun meme hosted by Rose City Reader blog. To participate, share the first sentence or so of a novel you are reading and your thoughts about it. When you are finished, add your URL to the Book Beginnings page linked above. Hope to see you there!

 

book-beginnings-Gershkowitz

Scot Free* by Catriona McPherson

(*Amazon Affiliate link- As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.)

Summary:  In the first novel  in the Last Ditch Mystery series, marriage counselor Lexy Campbell had fallen in love with a dentist and moved from her native Scotland to California. After discovering her husband’s true motivations, she divorces him and is about to fly back to Scotland when she’s embroiled in the bizarre death of one of her clients and has to stay longer than expected. Can she solve the murder so she can get on with her life?

First Sentence:

Outside my windows, mortars fired rockets into the darkness and the night was rent by the crack of gunpowder and the screams of children.

Discussion:

Let’s just say the author is playing with us a bit.

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The Friday 56 is hosted by Freda’s Voice. The premise is simple. Turn to page 56 in the book and pick a quote.

 

A tall, slim, kind of catalogue-modelly man in overstarched casuals came out and stood frowning on the doorstep. “Call me Bang-Bang,” he said. His shirtsleeves and chinos crackled as he moved towards me and shook my hand.

Although it falls into the cozy-mystery genre, this series has an edgier feel than most cozies.

Like her protagonist, author Catriona McPherson moved from Scotland to Davis, California to be with her husband. The novel is full of wry humor as she deals with the mistakes and mishaps that occur when two cultures collide.

What do you think? Have you read any novels by Catriona McPherson? Do you like humorous cozy mysteries?

#BookBeginnings Closed Circles

04/21/2022 / / 10 Comments

Have you ever read a novel because you liked the TV show or movie? That’s why I picked the Sandhamn Murders series by Viveca Sten for Book Beginnings on Fridays.

Book Beginnings is a fun meme hosted by Rose City Reader blog. To participate, share the first sentence or so of a novel you are reading and your thoughts about it. When you are finished, add your URL to the Book Beginnings page linked above. Hope to see you there!

 

book-beginnings-Gershkowitz

Closed Circles by Viveca Sten and translated by Laura A. Wideburg

(*Amazon Affiliate link- As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.)

Summary:  When Oscar Juliander, lawyer and deputy chairman of the prestigious Royal Swedish Yacht Club, is killed during a regatta, police detective Thomas Andreasson and his childhood friend lawyer Nora Linde  investigate.  The going gets tough when the rich and powerful close ranks.

First Sentence:

The woman’s voice slowly counted down over Channel 16 on the marine radio: “Ten, nine, eight…”

Discussion: 

As with many mystery novels, chapter one starts with the murder scene. The victim is killed during the beginning of the yacht race.

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The Friday 56 is hosted by Freda’s Voice. The premise is simple. Turn to page 56 in the book and pick a quote.

 

This special friendship with Nora had existed for a long time. [His ex-wife] Pernilla had never questioned it, unlike Nora’s husband, Henrik.

These are police detective Thomas Andreasson’s thoughts.  You can read different meanings into this sentence. Was Pernilla — Thomas’s ex-wife — more mature and secure, which is why she wasn’t jealous of her husband’s childhood friend? Or did she not care as much as Henrik? We learn more about Nora and Henrik’s relationship before the end of the book and things become much clearer.

I’ve already read Still Waters, which is the first in the series. The layout is unique because the sections from Nora’s point of view are so different in pacing. Her story line reads like domestic fiction. The sections that feature Thomas are fairly straightforward police procedural. The combination of the two works better than you might think. It is actually quite compelling.

There are two television series based on the novels, a Swedish television series named Sandhamn Murders and a Polish version, set in Poland with Polish actors called The Crime (Viveca’s website). Both television series paralleled the story line, but changed enough plot points so there weren’t too many spoilers.  For example, in Closed Circles the victim was killed during a horse race instead of a yacht race.

Still Waters by Viveca Sten and translated by Marlaine Delargy


Have you read any mysteries by Viveca Sten? Have you seen either television series?  Do you think you would like to?

#BookBeginnings #mystery The Man Who Died Twice

03/31/2022 / / 16 Comments

 

I found the first novel delightful, so I can’t wait to read The Man Who Died Twice: A Thursday Murder Club Mystery by Richard Osman for Book Beginnings on Fridays.

Book Beginnings is a fun meme hosted by Rose City Reader blog. To participate, share the first sentence or so of a novel you are reading and your thoughts about it. When you are finished, add your URL to the Book Beginnings page linked above. Hope to see you there!

 

book-beginnings-Richard-Osman

 

Summary:  Amateur sleuths Elizabeth, Joyce, Ron and Ibrahim return in this sequel to the hugely popular novel, The Thursday Murder Club. This time Elizabeth’s ex-husband arrives on the scene with a wild tale about being accused to stealing diamonds from some ruthless criminals.  Before long people are found murdered. It is up to the retired foursome to put things right.

First Sentence:

Sylvia Finch wonders how much longer she can do this. One foot in front of the other, her suede shoes darkening in the autumn puddles.

Death hangs about her like a fine mist.

Discussion:

It’s hard to define this first page. It is set apart with only a few lines. It feels like a prologue, but isn’t labeled as a prologue. None of the main characters are in it. I guess we’ll have to see how it fits.

56

The Friday 56 is hosted by Freda’s Voice. The premise is simple. Turn to page 56 in the book and pick a quote.

 

“So you need us to look out for him?” asks Joyce. “Like bodyguards?”

“Hardly bodyguards, Joyce,” says Elizabeth.

“We’re guarding his body,” says Ron.

“All right, bodyguards then, Ron, as you wish.”

I love how you can see differences between the characters even in this short piece of dialogue, complete with banter.

Also, it is written in present tense. Present tense gives a sense of immediacy, but keeping the verb tenses consistent can be tricky indeed.

The Man Who Died Twice: A Thursday Murder Club Mystery*by Richard Osman

(*Amazon Affiliate link- As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.)

The previous novel:
The Thursday Murder Club: A Novel by Richard Osman

 

 

Have you read any of the Thursday Murder Club mysteries? What do you think?

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