Here is some reading about my friend,Darcie Friesen Hossack. Her first book, a short story collection called Mennonites Don't Dance, will be available any day. Congratulations, Darcie, and enjoy the ride.

http://whatlooksin.wordpress.com/2010/09/07/mennonites-in-the-pear-tree/
http://islandeditions.wordpress.com/2010/09/08/publicity-for-darcie-friesen-hossack/

Which matters most in a mystery novel: the mystery or the personal story?

http://www.thestar.com/entertainment/books/article/850598--the-nesting-dolls-and-crime-machine

Series or Stand Alone Novel?

When is a novel a stand alone and when can it be the start of a series? According to a mystery writing advice book I read some years ago, a novel is a stand alone if it resolves the protagonist's basic problems; if it doesn't, it invites a sequel. The author further advised that series books should have an overall story arc.

When I started my mystery novel A Deadly Fall I was certain it was a one shot deal. At the same time, I sensed publishers tended to like mystery series. So, I set up the novel ending to make it look like my protagonist was heading into further mysteries, which I had no intention of pursuing.

I continued to view the book as a stand alone through draft #2. As I was approaching the end, I realized I wouldn't be able to completely resolve my protagonist's issues. I also wanted to know more about what would happen to her and a core group of characters. This might become a series after all.

I finished the third draft. While working on draft #4, I contemplated alternative titles. My original title In Remembrance of Me came from the novel's funeral scene. Paula, my protagonist, sees the message on the communion altar Do this in remembrance of me. She interprets it as a message from the victim, her childhood friend: find my killer. On another level, Paula is searching for herself, the youthful "me" who got lost in the business of growing up.

For those reasons, I liked my original title, but felt it didn't sound like the title of a mystery book. What else could I call it? The story takes place in the fall. Fall has evocative connotations. The fall of man. Fall from grace. Fall into danger and the emotional abyss. Deadly is a common mystery novel adjective. A Deadly Fall. I looked it up on the Chapters/Indigo and library websites to see how many other books had used the title. To my surprise, there were none. A Deadly Fall it is.

Fall naturally led me to think about seasons, which sparked an idea for a four book series with an overall story arc for Paula. Now, I could honestly tell publishers A Deadly Fall was the start of a series. They didn't need to know the series was limited.

I quickly decided on a title for book #2: The Secret Spring. While waiting to hear from publishers, I wrote the sequel with the title in mind. As a result, spring is more integrated into the story. In addition to the spring time frame, the victim is found dead in an isolated (secret) hot spring. All mystery novels are about secrets.

I decided Book #3 would be summer and book #4, the finale, winter.

After A Deadly Fall was accepted by a publisher, I pondered the series further. Could it and should it be more than four books? I thought through the narrative arc. Four books would rush the arc, there were many more things I could do with my characters and, given Paula's profession as an insurance adjuster, many more mysteries she could solve.

Author Sue Grafton was thinking ahead when she used the alphabet for her mystery series. It gave her 26 potential books. With only 4 seasons, I've painted myself into a corner.

I'm sure I'll figure a way out. That's what we do when we write mysteries.

My Journey Through the Editing Process, Part Two

On Tuesday, August 24th, I finished the major edits for my novel A Deadly Fall and e-mailed the revised manuscript to my editor, Frances Thorsen. She will read the novel in one swoop for overall effect and send me any further comments. Then, it’s off to the copy editor. After the copy edit is done, I’ll have a couple of weeks to proof-read the final version before the book goes to press.

Frances and I began our editing journey in June. I may be one if the few Calgarians who didn’t mind our summer of less-than-wonderful weather. I rarely longed for the outdoors as I tapped away at my desk, editing my manuscript chapter by chapter.

Frances divided the novel into chunks of ten chapters. Using the Track Changes feature of WORD, she e-mailed me her suggested changes and comments one or two chapters at a time. I replied with my agreements or counter-suggestions or further comments. She’d volley back her replies. We’d keep going with this until we more or less reached a consensus for that chapter(s), at the same time moving forward with edits to the rest of the story. When chapters 1-10 were done, we worked on 11-20. My original novel had 33 chapters. It now has 32. We cut most of Chapter 20 and combined the remnants with a new small scene and the former chapter 21 to create one long chapter that seems to work.

Overall, I’d say Frances and I were in agreement about the story’s major points. She understood all of my characters the way I did; we saw the story arc the same way. We sometimes differed on smaller points, such as word choices and punctuation. I deferred in cases where I wasn’t sure what was right or felt her change wouldn’t make a significant difference. These were relatively easy matters in terms of work load. More time consuming was writing new scenes and figuring out how to handle the effects of a deleted character and subplot.

Frances also raised questions I hadn’t considered. These led us both to research such things as cell phone call tracing, Calgary transit schedules and criminal code terms.

When we were done, my task was to re-assemble the edited chapters into a new whole. This was harder than I’d expected due to my poor organization system. I also felt a need to read the novel through once again to check for errors due to the changes we’d made: references left in that should no longer be there, details inadvertently removed with the deleted character or subplot and extra spaces, double periods and crossed out letters left behind from the Track Changes.

Between the additions and deletions, the edited manuscript is about 6,000 words less than my original. I believe it’s more focused and interesting to readers.

Now I get a brief rest before plunging into the next book. On September 9th, TouchWood publisher, Ruth Linka, has arranged a conference call with Frances and me to discuss future novels in the mystery series. I’m mulling ideas for a sequel.

I had to push myself to make the September 1st target for the edits in the midst of my summer activities: hiking, visitors and short trips. The push has paid off. The day after I sent Frances the edited manuscript, Ruth Linka contacted me. A mystery novel scheduled for spring 2011 had to be postponed. Frances told her the editing has gone well. How would I feel about moving my fall 2011 publication date forward six months to spring 2011, possibly March?

I feel excited and scared. March isn’t so far away. This book is really going to happen.