Wrong Again: Charlaine Harris

I thought I didn’t like cozies, especially those written by Charlaine Harris. To refresh your memory, cozies feature an amateur sleuth (who has some law enforcement connection.) Many sleuths are female: many own cats and like to cook or do some other domestic craft. The violence and sex happen off stage. Most of all, there’s a sweet, light tone to the books. Not my style.

I write police procedural mystery novels. Think cop shows where the action is seen through the eyes of some type of law enforcement. The murder(s) are unraveled with  methods available to law enforcement, be it FBI, coast guard investigators, the sheriff, or big city cops. In my case it’s Santa Monica, featuring a fictional SMPD homicide detective.

It means my tastes lean in the direction of reading other police procedural writers, such as John Stanford, Mike Markell, or Oliver Tidy. Why read something you don’t like?

Or so I thought. Recently the Los Angeles chapter of Sisters-in-Crime, put on a crime writers conference. Charlaine Harris was one of the keynote speakers. As it happened, I thumped down in a chair next to her at breakfast, not recognizing her. With a thick as honey Mississippi accent and southern good manners, she charmed me.

She charmed the entire audience of crime writers and fans that day. I paraphrase one remark. I don’t read how to books on writing. I might find out I’d been doing everything wrong.

One titled Midnight Crossroad was made available in our book bag at the conference. I started reading one night and was hooked. The cozy writer is allowed more leisure in starting off a novel. Police procedural readers want the murder in the first few pages. Harris charmed me again, setting me down in a twisty Texas hamlet filled with original characters and a riveting storyline.

The older I get the less certain I am about my hard and fast opinions. The nice thing about changing your mind about what you like is that it opens you up to a new dimension. I may not like all cozies from now on, but Charlaine Harris is a charmer and I’m a new fan.

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Mar Preston's latest book is A Very Private High School
 http://www.amazon.com/Private-School-Detective-Mason-Mystery-ebook/dp/B010YF49XO/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1439736991&sr=8-1&keywords=mar+preston+high

New Promo Idea: Warning—Lying is Involved

by Kathleen Kaska 

(Your Fifth Saturday Blogger)

           

            How many of you remember that popular game show from the sixties, To Tell the Truth? Yes, I know I just admitted I’m no spring chicken, but that’s okay; some of those early game shows were a

hoot. On To Tell the Truth, three contestants tried to stump a panel of four by claiming to be the same person. The announcer made the introduction. For example:

            “Tonight we have author Kathleen Kaska. She has published seven books, and more than eighty travel and outdoor adventure articles. She writes the Sydney Lockhart Mystery Series, where each book is set in a different historic hotel; and the Classic Triviography Mystery Series, which includes trivia and biographical information. So far her subjects have been Agatha Christie, Alfred Hitchcock, and Sherlock Holmes. Her latest book is a true story about the ornithologist who saved the whooping crane from extinction. Go figure.”

             After the introduction, all three contestants (me being one) walk out on stage and make the same claim.

            Contestant number one: “I’m Kathleen Kaska.”

            Contestant number two: “I’m Kathleen Kaska.”

            Contestant number three: “No, I’m Kathleen Kaska.  

            Now the panel begins quizzing each contestant to see who’s telling the truth and who’s lying. Sometimes the liars can be very convincing. The two imposters have to bluff and lie their way through, but the real person has to tell the truth. Whoever gets the most wrong votes wins the most money. See how it works?

            Think of what fun this could be in promoting our books.

            At a book signing, we could bring along two imposters and stage our own show. Of course, all contestants would have to dress in disguise or maybe wear a bag over their heads, since author photos are posted on every social network available. Or, the contestants could pretend to be our protagonists; costumes in order again. The nice thing about this game is that even if we don’t sell any books, at least we have a shot at winning some cash.

            If anyone is willing to give this idea a try, let me know how it works. Although I’ve become somewhat adept at promoting myself, I don’t think I have the nerve to pull this one off.

            But, I could do a Wheel of Fortune promo event, where all the puzzle answers are my book titles. The only thing I’d need to work out is how to get the cash coming to me rather than the players.

            By the way, Robert Porter Allen, the subject of my whooping crane book, was actually on To Tell the Truth in 1962. He was not able to stump the panel and he didn’t win too much money, but at least he was able to promote his cause.

            I’d love to hear about any off-the-wall promo ideas, if you’re game.

www.kathleenkaska.com