Write What You Fear?

 By Linda Lovely

We’ve all heard the old saw—write what you know. Oh, really?

Fortunately, most authors of mysteries, thrillers, and romantic suspense have never been shot, beaten, handcuffed, kidnapped, stalked or targeted by a relentless assassin. So does that mean we can’t write about heroines and heroes thrown into terrifying situations?

I couldn't do this!

Of course not. There is a way to write what we “know” when we place our heroines/heroes in dangerous situations we’ve never experienced. Method actors do it all the time. They draw on the real emotions that gripped them at some point in their lives.

I suffer from “moderate” vertigo and a fear of heights. Years ago, when I was a partner in a PR firm that prepared feature articles for corporate clients, I covered the Miss Universe contest for a computerized lighting equipment manufacturer. The client requested photos (I was both writer and photographer) taken from “above” its overhead lights to spotlight its equipment with the Miss Universe contestants on the stage below. To get the shots, I was allowed to climb the scaffolding during rehearsals. (Did I mention this contest was NOT held in the USA where OSHA standards might apply?)

As I scooted along the beam, the whole rickety structure seemed to sway. I was terrified. Sweat beaded on my forehead. My heart raced. My fingers were so sweaty I could barely focus the camera. I got dizzy. Closed my eyes. Tried to steady my breathing. I watched a sweat droplet plummet and wondered if the lady below thought there was a leak in the roof. The incongruous thought made me want to giggle. Edge of hysteria? Maybe.

I climbed to the top of this lighthouse to take
pix for a client. As high as I go & not thrilled. 

My seventh book, Bones To Pick, a humorous mystery, will debut in October. The plots are quite different. But—what a surprise—my heroines all suffer from vertigo and a fear of heights and often find themselves in situations where they must overcome those fears to survive.

In Dear Killer, Marley Clark climbs to the pinnacle of a lighthouse to flee a gunman. In No Wake Zone, the sequel to Dear Killer, Marley must leap from a rooftop to the scaffolding of a roller coaster to lure a killer away from her cousin. In Dead Line, the first of my Smart Women, Dumb Luck Romantic Thrillers, Nexi Ketts rappels into the depths of a cave that’s deeper than the Statue of Liberty is tall.

Do you take advantage of your fears and remembered emotions when you write? If so, do you have fears that resurface in different guises in your manuscripts?

   

My Book Club Improves My Writing--And My Mind

By Linda Lovely

While I’ve always been an avid reader, I didn’t join a book club until after I’d written my first novel. Even then, I joined reluctantly at a local bookstore owner’s urging. I’ve now belonged to he Book Feast Club for several years. I’m absolutely certain my membership has made me a better writer—and maybe even a more rounded individual. And no, I’m not talking about my hips, even though the ladies of Book Feast always combine discussion with dinner.

Our book club has 15 members. Not all were able to make this summer dinner meeting
--and some photos didn't quite turn out so not everyone's pictured on this page. 

Why did I resist joining a book club? My two main reasons are interrelated. The first is time. I didn’t want to spend time reading books someone else picked for me when I didn’t have enough time to read all the novels I really wanted to read. My to-be-read stacks were already teetering with new works from long-time favorites along with manuscripts and novels from new authors I was meeting in organizations like Sisters in Crime and Romance Writers of America. My second reason for reluctance was my impression that book club selections would be dominated by “literary” titles that were presumably good for me but usually depressing and certainly not my mystery/thriller/romantic suspense mainstays.

So what did I discover? This book club’s fiction selections are eclectic. While we all make suggestions and vote, we attempt to balance our annual list with a little of everything--historicals, mystery/thrillers, romance, humor, classics and, yes, thought-provoking literary prize winners.

Do I wind up reading some books I don’t like? Yes, but that’s more than balanced by discovering authors I otherwise might never have read and learning new ways to engage readers (as well as what really turns the readers in Book Feast off). I  should add that our club is not militant. If you don’t like a book, you are not required to slog through to the end just to attend the meeting where it will be discussed. The general rule of thumb is try to read the first fifty pages before you give up.

Of course, I also have to add that I LOVE our members. The wonderful women are just as diverse as our reading selections. Ages range from forties to eighties. Professions (current and former) run the gamut from librarians and professors to nurses, flight attendants, and medical techs. The group includes Southerners and Yankees, liberals and conservatives. Our conversations are always lively—and civil. Politicians could learn a lot from our members.

So why do I say authors should join a book club? Writers tend to spend a lot of time with each other. We talk about point-of-view and plot structure, character arcs and dialogue tags. Do readers know or care about these things? No. It’s interesting and instructional to see what engages readers and what writing flaws they will overlook if the characters are compelling and the storylines keep them hooked. It's just as interesting to see what they can't abide. The club members by and large are a big part of my target audience.

Want to know what the Book Feast has on its calendar for the next 12 months? I’ll include our reading list in my next Once-In-A-While Newsletter. Here’s a link to sign up. Newsletter Sign-Up

Do you belong to a book club? If so, what do you like most about your group?

P.S I love to visit with book clubs—in person if feasible or by Skype or Free Conference Call. Let me know if you’re interested.

Writing Has Made Me Rich!

By Linda Lovely

Okay, no need for the IRS to start an audit. The meager author income reported on my tax return is unfortunately no lie. Nonetheless, researching mysteries and romantic suspense novels has made my life so much richer.

Here is a small sampling of my experiences and encounters with fascinating folks I would never have met if it weren’t for my research and professional affiliations.

Writers’ Police Academy

The Writers’ Police Academy (WPA) takes top honors on my list of opportunities to gain experiences and meet people I would never, ever have encountered if I had not attended the WPA. In August, I’ll make my fourth visit to the Academy, where I’m a volunteer staffer, giving back to an organization that is dedicated to helping writers of crime fiction get it right (and have a lot of fun in the process).

At the WPA, I have:

·         Searched a building with a SWAT team, carrying my own (unloaded) automatic rifle

·         Experienced the decision-making dilemmas police officers face in deciding when to fire in simulated real-life situations with hostages and armed threats. (I killed no civilians.)

·         Visited a burn site looking for signs of arson

·         Searched a wooded area for signs of a shallow grave

·         Learned self-defense tactics that work for women if they’re grabbed

·         Searched jail cells for contraband

·         Interviewed suspects and

·         Studied nasty bioweapon alternatives

·         Seen how dogs and robots would work to foil terrorists

·         Watched police divers retrieve underwater evidence

·         PLUS sat in classes presented to every type of law enforcement expert imaginable, from Secret Service, FBI and DEA agents to forensic psychologists, fraud and gang experts

·         What’s best? Many of the experts I met at the Academy and in my own backyard have been more than willing to help answer specific questions related to my manuscripts.

·         Retired Detective Lee Lofland, WPA founder, and Dr. Denene Lofland, who seems to know all there is to know about bio crimes, have become dear friends.

Sisters in Crime

Closer to home, I meet fascinating folks every month at the Upstate SC Chapter of Sisters in Crime. Here are a few of our law enforcement-related guests:

·         An entertaining woman who heads her family’s bail bond company.

·         A psychic, considered empathic, clairaudient, claircognizant and sometimes clairvoyant.

·         A policeman who has spent nine years as a school resource officer.

·         Judges, public defenders, defense attorneys, DA.s and prosecutors.

·         Forensic crime scene and firearms specialists

·         A specialist in tracking computer and financial fraud.

·         The head of a group fighting domestic abuse and minor sex trafficking

·         A parole officer, 

Road Trips & Phone Interviews

Writing mysteries and romantic suspense also provides an excuse for road trips and conversations with some of the most interesting people outside of law enforcement. My most recent excursions have been to visit a goat cheese farm and a (legal) moonshine operation. I’ve also interviewed folks in my home town who are old enough to remember what it was like in 1938, when my novel LIES is set.

See what I mean about rich? I’m one Baby Boomer who believes there’s more to life than living an insulated life interacting only with people in your own age, ethnic, and income group.

Writers—what’s the most interesting research you’ve undertaken for a novel?