Paperback Versions of Anastasia Raven Mysteries

All four Anastasia Raven mysteries are now available in three volumes as paperbacks! I gave in to the Amazon giant and did this through CreateSpace which was quite easy to use, actually.

Although I've had good sales with the e-books it all seems more real with physical copies in my hands!

For a limited time you can get all three for only $30, plus $4 media mail shipping to US addresses. This is a savings of $3 off the cover price, and if you are in Michigan, I'm even paying your tax for you (an additional $1.80 savings). These will be signed copies. This offer will be good until November 1, 2014.

Email me, or tell me in a comment that you are interested.

Bury the Hatchet in Dead Mule Swamp- Available!

Bury the Hatchet in Dead Mule Swamp is book four of the Anastasia Raven mysteries. Here's the blurb:

Anastasia Raven opens a box containing a bloody hatchet, apparently sent as some sort of warning to her friend Cora and Cora’s ex-husband. When a hacked-up body is discovered in the Petite Sauble River at the small village of Jalmari, everyone is stunned at the victim’s identity. Continued puzzling discoveries just don’t add up. Ana discovers herself agreeing to participate in a zany conspiracy with a tall and handsome man.

The ebook is available for purchase now, only $2.99- less than a good cup of coffee!
Smashwords
Amazon
Barnes and Noble

Bury the Hatchet in Dead Mule Swamp out to Beta Readers

I am delighted to be able to say that Bury the Hatchet in Dead Mule Swamp has gone out to my beta readers for this book.

What does a beta reader do? After an author has completed a manuscript and gone through it at least once looking for errors that need fixing, it should go to several people who have writing skills and critical reading skills. They will look for plot inconsistencies, things that are beyond belief, grammar and punctuation errors. And of course, those ever-present pesky typos.

I recently read a traditionally published book, by an author who has been on the New York Times Bestseller List. I was enjoying it immensely until about page 500. It turned out the entire plot twist hinged on the police overlooking a very critical and obvious piece of factual information from the autopsy. Bzzzzzz.

This is beyond suspension of disbelief. It made me feel as if I'd wasted all the time I spent reading. I did finish the book, it was near the end. A beta reader, or an editor, should have said to that author, "This just doesn't make sense."

So I hope my beta readers will be honest with me. Then again, if they think the story is too outlandish, I really don't want to completely scrap the manuscript. Let's hope they find it enjoyable without too many huge gaffes.

I'm thinking the book should be ready to purchase in about three weeks. Meanwhile, you can get up to speed by reading the first three Anastasia Raven stories: Smashwords or Amazon

Ready to Begin the Harvest Ball

It's not giving away any big secret to say that the climax of this book occurs at the Harvest Ball. Everything so far has been building toward it, and anyone reading the book will be sure to notice they are almost at the end. I'm finally ready for the big night to begin in Chapter 42.

That said, there's a lot that happens, so there are quite a few more chapters to write.

I was on a roll today, and didn't have any other work assignments or hours. I devoted the day to wordcrafting, and managed to squeeze out 3024 of 'em. For those of you waiting for this Anastasia Raven book, I hope you won't have to wait much longer.

Meanwhile, here's a sample from Chapter 40:

    I was showing the kids the backstage areas where they could change and make entrances and exits, when the lights went out. The dim recesses of the stage became murky with no windows located there, and the loud music ceased abruptly mid-song. The quiet was so welcome I realized my ears were ringing.
    “Sorry,” Mick called from the balcony. “I think our amps did that.”
    “I’ll take care of it,” hollered Todd. He motioned to one of the musicians, opened the door that led directly to the basement and said, “Th’electric panel’s down here. I’ll show ya’.” Raising his voice again, he yelled at Mick, “Ya’ might need t’ get an extension cord and plug those lights in a differ’nt circuit.”
    “Where can I buy one?” Mick yelled back. “I’ve used all ours.”
    “Jouppi’s Hardware,” Todd and I said simultaneously. “South end of Main Street,” I added loudly.
    I heard Cody scream “Geronimo!” from the hallway.
    It was just past one, and there were still hours to go until the Ball began, when the noise level was sure to be exponentially louder. I shook my head in hopes of stopping the ringing in my ears and the ringing switched to my pocket. It was my phone.

You can find the first three Anastasia Raven Stories at Smashwords or Amazon

Chapter 33 - Bury the Hatchet in Dead Mule Swamp

I just finished a big scene with Ana, Adele, Mavis Fanning and Virginia Holiday. I think it's one of the best pieces of the book. Whew. It takes a lot of mental energy to write things like this and make them believable and interesting. Hopefully, I've pulled that off.

Enjoy an excerpt from Chapter 33

    I had no idea what had just happened, but it seemed good. I stepped into my Jeep and turned the heater to high as I pulled away from Chippewa Lodge.
    The phone was no worse than damp and seemed to be working fine. I punched in Adele’s number. She answered after only one ring.
    “Ana, where are you? Are you all right?” She sounded frantic.
    “I’m fine. I’m wet and cold. I have to go home and change. Then I’ll fill you in.”
    “Come to my house as soon as you’re done. I’ll heat some soup. I called someone to help Suzi at the store,” Adele said.
    “That sounds good. Give me a half hour.”
    “I’ll be waiting,” I knew she was more than eager to hear all the juicy details.

You can find the first three Anastasia Raven Stories at Smashwords or Amazon

Chapter 27 - Bury the Hatchet in Dead Mule Swamp

I came home from my recent trip with much more of the plot rolling around in my head. I've had quiet, and a low number of other commitments, and motivation this weekend. The result is that I'm on Chapter 27.

One of the things my writers' group thinks I do well is dialog. I sure hope they are right! One of the problems I've learned about telling a story in the first person is that you have to have a lot of conversations to get enough information out to the reader. And you can't be telling them things that the protagonist doesn't know (OK, you could occasionally do so in a prologue or some break in the point of view with an outside narrator, but it's not the norm).

If I ever do another series, I think it will be third person, just because it's easier.

Here's an excerpt from Chapter 27:

    “That’s pretty short term. What does he want with the building after that?”
    “I’m not sure,” I lied. “He has ideas about a community center, or a conference center, or something.”
    “In this backwater,” she scoffed.
    “Some people seem to think things might be turning around,” I said defensively, recalling Alex’s optimism. It didn’t sound to me as if Virginia Holiday was falling in love with Forest County.
    “I don’t think anyone is going to travel here for a conference, and neither does Jerry Caulfield,” she said, picking up her half smoked cigarette. She looked at its snuffed tip, sighed, and placed it back in the saucer.

You can find the first three Anastasia Raven Stories at Smashwords or Amazon

Chapter 23 - Bury the Hatchet in Dead Mule Swamp

I've written a couple of chapters since updating this blog, and have several more planned in my head. Good long drives are useful to me in that regard, and I've had a couple of those lately.

I'm hopeful that the writing bug will continue to infect me, and I'll proceed at a faster pace than I have been for the past few months.

Here's an excerpt from Chapter 23:

    “Why did they find the body here?” I asked. “I mean, if there are so many places it could get hung up?”
    “Probably two reasons,” Alex speculated, looking thoughtful. “The river widens out, so the current does diminish. I’ve been told that’s why the town was built here in the first place. The river could be forded before there was a bridge. But also, there are people here. We saw it and called the police. Shane actually pulled it, him, ashore.” Alex stared into the distance, obviously recalling the unpleasant experience.

You can find the first three Anastasia Raven Stories at Smashwords or Amazon

Chapter 21 - Bury the Hatchet in Dead Mule Swamp

Things seem to be coming together in my head to make this book flow, but it's really hard to make blocks of time to write with two jobs. It's a dilemma!

Nevertheless, I've managed to produce a new chapter for each meeting of the West Side Gang writers' group, and I'm up to Chapter 21.

Almost at 35,000 words for the MS.

I've got a satisfactory number of confusing threads going on in the story, and if I can pull them all together at the end, this should be a good read. Let's hope you all agree, when I actually produce the entire book!

In Chapter 21, we learn more of the details of an infamous local crime from a newspaper article saved by the meticulous curator, Cora Baker.

Here's an excerpt from the Cherry Hill Herald in Chapter 21:

    Only six weeks later, on October 8th, appearing to shop as usual at Volger’s, after Nora had paid for a few sewing notions, Heinrich Volger demanded to inspect her basket which was lined with a gingham cloth. Beneath the cloth he found a set of fine linen napkins, a tin of tooth powder, sheet music for I’m Always Chasing Rainbows, and several handfuls of loose horehound candies. He valued the items at a total of $6.87. “Those napkins were made by Mrs. Ethel Radcliffe, and were worth a dollar a piece,” Volger explained to the Herald. “That’s what made it so dang provoking. Ethel don’t make those fine linens for the store, but once in a while.”

You can find the first three Anastasia Raven Stories at Smashwords or Amazon

Chapter 18 - Bury the Hatchet in Dead Mule Swamp

This book is proceeding at the pace of a greased snail. I realize that. I'm hoping at some point my ideas, time, and enthusiasm will reach a critical mass and I'll be able to take off and write more than one agonized chapter at a time.

Tonight I didn't finish in time to go to the West Side Gang writers' group. Since I had some modest momentum going I decided I really had to stay home and actually write. The chapter struggled along, sentence by sentence, but at last it reached a satisfactory ending, revealing one more piece of the puzzle.

Almost at 30,000 words for the MS now.

Here's an excerpt from Chapter 18:

    She glanced sideways at me, and set the cup down on the table. Her blunt, work-worn fingers tapped impatiently on the edge of the saucer. “I know that Jerry was not the only potential buyer for the old school. This sudden interest in that dump, and then learning it’s the location of the Jared Canfield murder is quite peculiar, don’t you think?”
    I jumped on the opportunity to change the subject. “Do you know who else wanted to buy it? I do think that’s strange.”

You can find the first three Anastasia Raven Stories at Smashwords or Amazon

Chapter 16 - Bury the Hatchet in Dead Mule Swamp

This book is looking like it will certainly be the longest in the series so far. The story seems to still be growing in complexity, and I'm at 27,000 words.

I like the current twist it's taking. Don't want to give too much away, but I think I'm succeeding at developing multiple suspects to keep the reader guessing.

Here's an excerpt from Chapter 16:

    Lying at an odd angle on top of the carton was a plain piece of computer paper with printing on it. I grabbed a tissue from the packet I kept clipped to the visor and picked it up.
    The note wasn’t hand written, but was printed in a plain font in large capital letters.
    “YOU AND YOUR RICH BOYFRIEND BETTER STAY AWAY FROM THAT OLD SCHOOL IF YOU KNOW WHAT’S GOOD FOR YOU. LOOK WHAT HAPPENED TO THE OTHER GUY. A FRIEND.”

You can find the first three Anastasia Raven Stories at Smashwords or Amazon

Chapter 15 - Bury the Hatchet in Dead Mule Swamp

I haven't made much progress on the newest Anastasia Raven mystery for quite a while. But today I got back on track. Re-read everything I have to date, and wrote the next chapter.

Took it to West Side Gang this evening, and for the most part they liked it. Some thought there was too much description in one place and others liked that section particularly well. Some didn't like how much I have to use dialogue to give the reader information. Another said "O.K. as dialogue."

These differences of opinion don't bother me at all. What they do is further convince me that a book will never sink or float on just one paragraph. In the end, when the book is an entity, not broken into chapters that a group hears one at a time, weeks apart, the balance between description and dialogue will sort itself out, and if it needs major editing (slashing) I can do it.

Meanwhile, here's a sample of Chapter 15:

    “Why are you so jittery, Ana?” Adele continued. “I’ll tell you what I think. You’re dating him!”
    “Not really.”
    “’Not really!’ What does that mean? I saw the way he was looking at you in the car. There’s certainly something going on between you.”
    I couldn’t tell Adele the whole truth. She’d blab it all over. “We did go out for dinner. He wants me to help him plan a community event.”
    “Hell’s bells. You don’t expect me to believe that do you?”

You can find the first three Anastasia Raven Stories at Smashwords or Amazon

Chapters 13 & 14 of Bury the Hatchet in Dead Mule Swamp

Slowly but surely, this manuscript is progressing. I've been working hard on a chapter-by-chapter "outline" of the plot. I'm still missing a couple of key pieces, but I have enough to keep forging blindly ahead for a while. I suspect the missing pieces will fall in place. They always do, right? If not, I suppose authors would have to abandon their stories.

I'll be in the car a lot this next week. That's often where I manage to dream up good sections of plots. I have high hopes.

Meanwhile, enjoy a snippet of Chapter 14:

    I closed my eyes and tried to nap, but sleep didn’t come. I finally quit trying, but we continued to wait silently. Apparently neither of us could think of anything to say. Jerry fiddled with his cell phone, but I couldn’t tell if he was playing a game, texting someone, or making notes for a news story.
    A city truck pulled up at the end of the block and removed a small cover plate from a pipe at the curb. He inserted a long bar with a handle in the opening and began twisting it.
    “Nothing like an emergency to get the utilities turned on in a hurry,” Jerry said dryly. “If I work this right, maybe I can get the city to pay for the boiler inspection too.”

You can find the first three Anastasia Raven Stories at Smashwords or Amazon

Chapters 11,12 - Bury the Hatchet in Dead Mule Swamp

I've had a hard time working on this MS this month, but I'm now up to Chapter 12. I really like this plot, but for some reason writing it out is not flowing as easily as the previous books in the series.

As we all know, all that means is that I should be disciplining myself to work on it regularly anyway. All I can say right now is that I'm not giving up. It's coming, but slowly.

An excerpt from Chapter 12:

    “Conspiracy?” The word itself was shocking. “I thought you were an upstanding citizen. What on earth do you have in mind?”
    “Oh, probably nothing illegal but it’s definitely on the sneaky side. You seem like the right person to help me.”
    I wasn’t sure if that was a compliment or not. “You think I’m sneaky?”
    “No, no, that’s not what I meant. But you are certainly in an excellent position to accomplish certain things,” he added cryptically.
    I poured a cup of coffee and took a good swallow. I wanted a clear head for the rest of this conversation, wherever it was going. The coffee burned my tongue and I spilled some of the hot liquid on the tablecloth.

You can find the first three Anastasia Raven Stories at Smashwords or Amazon

Chapter 10 - Bury the Hatchet in Dead Mule Swamp

Chapter 10 is done. This is a transitional chapter, moving the story forward in time and letting the reader know that the initial mystery has almost become a cold case.

An excerpt from Chapter 10:

    “Jerry!” I said. “You scared me.”
    “I see that,” he said. “Are you feeling guilty for shopping outside Cherry Hill?”
    “No. Not really.” I looked around for a way to escape. “Maybe a little.”
    Jerry also had a shopping cart. I noticed he had picked out several bottles of regional wine and some expensive cheeses.
    “Let me guess. You just didn’t feel like talking to Adele any more today.”
    “Sometimes I do feel a little overwhelmed,” I admitted. “What are you doing here?”

You can find the first three Anastasia Raven Stories at Smashwords or Amazon

Chapter 9 - Bury the Hatchet in Dead Mule Swamp

Somehow, I never posted the fact that I wrote Chapter 8. Be assured that I did... I did not magically skip from 7 to 9!.

In fact, I wrote Chapter 9 twice. Somehow when I was backing it up I managed to lose the whole thing. Still have no real idea how that happened, but it did.

So, instead of taking Chapter 9 to my writers' group for feedback, I stayed home and wrote it all again. The final word count was within 100 words of the original, so I think I managed to recreate most of it. I don't think the second try was as good as the first, but hopefully editing will improve that.

This chapter is more about character development than direct plot movement.

An excerpt from Chapter 9:

    “How about that rowboat?”
    I laughed. “It’s too rotten to be any use in the water. But I like the atmosphere.” The overturned boat’s faded and peeling red paint contrasted nicely with the green leaves, and blue-gray water.
    Chad started a fire, and after a few minutes we had threaded hot dogs on peeled sticks and were holding them over the crackling flames. The river gurgled quietly against its banks as it flowed from our right to left. Sparrows twittered amongst the maple leaves which were shivering in the slight breeze. The earth smelled warm and damp, and the hardwood smoke tickled our nostrils.

You can find the first three Anastasia Raven Stories at Smashwords or Amazon

Chapter 7 - Bury the Hatchet in Dead Mule Swamp

For some reason, I had a hard time writing this chapter. It didn't feel smooth to me, and because it's a different pace from the opening (this book opens with more of a bang than the others), it was hard to see if it fit well.

I took it to my writers' group expecting to have it torn to shreds. Instead, they pretty much thought it worked well. They pointed out some tweaks that would help, but it was not the crashing disaster I thought it might be, requiring an extensive re-write. I sure hope they are right! Usually, these folks are not afraid to be honest, so I trust them to tell me if something isn't working.

Some important pieces of information are revealed, and hopefully in a natural way. That's always a bit tricky when a story is told in first person.

An excerpt from Chapter 7:

    The yellow plastic tape was completely blocking the public access to the river. I was willing to bet that wasn’t making the [canoe] livery owners happy in August. We pulled slowly past the access, and as we crept by I had a glimpse of two divers wading from the water. I also caught site of a solid man with short grizzled hair and a scowl on his face, Detective Milford. He wore a tie, but no suit coat, and his sleeves were rolled part way up his arms. He looked hot and frustrated.

You can find the first three Anastasia Raven Stories at Smashwords or Amazon

Cover for Bury the Hatchet in Dead Mule Swamp

It's possible there might be some tweaks, but here is the prototype cover for Bury the Hatchet in Dead Mule Swamp.



Is it mysterious? Boring? Does it make you want to buy this book?

Chapter 6 - Bury the Hatchet in Dead Mule Swamp

Sometimes more complex is just that: complicated. This book is the most tangled I've ever tried to write, and sometimes I'm not sure which piece should come next.

One night earlier this week I had trouble getting to sleep, so I pondered "what next" for Bury the Hatchet. I realized quite quickly that I didn't really need any continuing description of the events that began in Chapter 5.

Sometimes writing a story is just as much about what to leave out, as what to put in. Sure, I could have spun out those events, but it wasn't necessary, and one sentence covering the outcome was fine, less boring, and moved things along.

Instead, Chapter 6 goes in a completely different direction. In fact, the reader might think the plot isn't being advanced, but that it only serves to develop characters. Hopefully, it does some of each.

An excerpt from Chapter 6:

    My brain was seriously foggy, and I might have dozed off because I jumped at the sound of a knock at the door. I hadn’t heard anyone drive in.
    The knocking was repeated, more insistently, and I hurried to the door. Whoever was out there was standing to the side, out of sight. I couldn’t see anyone through the old wavy glass door panels, and no vehicle was within view.
    “Who’s there?” I called.
    There was no answer, but a squareish shoulder eased into sight and the person knocked again.

Chapter 5- Bury the Hatchet in Dead Mule Swamp

This chapter was fun to write in one way. I've always admired authors like Ngaio Marsh and some others who can handle a whole room full of characters, keep them straight, make something important happen, and befuddle the reader enough that a major clue is slipped in right under their noses.

Well, I certainly didn't take on that big of a challenge. All I tried for was to have a room full of people, and have the scene make sense. Since I personally have trouble dealing with more than one or two people at a time, it's hard for me to write about crowds.

Tomorrow night, my writers' group will help me decide if I succeeded! Meanwhile, here's a sample:

An excerpt from Chapter 5:

    “Caulfield’s...” she began tentatively, but was cut off by Adele who swept toward us.
    “This is one sad day for our community,” she announced loudly, shaking her head.
    From a couple of tables away, a man yelled, “Where’s the Sheriff? It’s 6:58.”
    “Damn mysterious, if you ask me,” said a woman I only knew as a one of the Lutherans.
    People had continued to drift in, and now the room was packed. I saw Cora and her son Tom, but they sat down on the far side of the room, and didn’t even see me wave.

I wasn't sure when I began where this chapter should end. But when I got there, today, it was obvious!

Chapter 4 - Bury the Hatchet in Dead Mule Swamp

Chapter four begins to move the story along with a big announcement. But, hey, I'm not going to give that away here!

I think my writing is improving. I managed to show a lot more emotion than telling it in this chapter.

This is from one of the sections my writers' group especially liked last night

An excerpt from Chapter 4:

    Two cats watched me from the porch railing as I got out of the Jeep, and an aging beagle heaved himself from the grass and waddled toward me. “Ar-oooo,” he said, without much enthusiasm, but he had his duty to do. I reached down and scratched behind his ears.
    “Hello, Bub,” I said. Janice appeared on the porch. Her face was red, and she was wiping purple hands on a towel.

I'm forging ahead with this book even though I don't have all of the plot elements nailed down. Some people seem to write this way all the time. I guess I'll find out if I can do it.