The LadyKillers

Looking back, looking forward by Carole Price

It's sad when something we've enjoyed doing for a long time has come to an end, but I've learned so much from this group of authors. When asked to join Lady Killers, I was unsure if I would have interesting comments to contribute on so many different themes, but it's been my pleasure to belong to this group and I hope to stay in touch through their own blogs.

I don't make new year's resolutions  . . . I never kept them. Soooooo this year I broke down and made one with three parts: Shakespeare Book #4, continue with Book #1 in my stained glass series, and finally edit (again) Martha's Vineyard stand alone, my first ever book (because I still like it).

Thanks to Ann and Mysti for all their work keeping Lady Killers running and helping me when I stumbled along the way. It's been enjoyable knowing them and the rest of this group. I like staying in touch with those who have had a part in my life. I can be found here:

www.carolepricemysteries.com

email: [email protected]

^{Happy Holidays and best wishes for 2018!}

 

That Hurt by Carole Price

Hmmm…what hurt? Oh yes, when I was bitten by the ugliest, mangiest dog I’d ever seen. I was working the streets doing my police volunteer job when a neighbor flagged me down and pointed to a little boy, three years old, he had put in his car for safety reasons. He had wandered away from home and was walking down the middle of the street. As I radioed Dispatch, a couple cop cars arrived and we spread out to knock on doors asking about the little boy.

One house I went to had a gate so I couldn’t knock on the door, but I reached over the gate and started to knock on a window when the dog grabbed my hand and bit me. Talk about hurt and scared! I jerked my hand away, wrapped it in a tissue, wrote the address down, and drove back to where we’d all met up to start our search. Soon a fire truck, sirens and all, arrived and I just knew the cops had called them about my hand. How embarrassing! Happy ending. . . the boy’s dad was found. The dog was in quarantine for a month. For me. . . I was told to return to the police station to fill out injury forms and then to go to Kaiser/Workers comp.

My protagonist, Cait Pepper, in my Shakespeare series was hurt mentally when she inherited the Bening Estate from an aunt she’d never heard of. Her parents neglected to tell her about this aunt and after they died in a plane crash it was too late. But Cait quit her job as a police officer and moved to Livermore, California, to manage the Shakespeare Festival and vineyard. Her heart still aches for the loss of her parents and also for not knowing the aunt who changed her life.

Character Hobbies by Carole Price

Cait Pepper, my protagonist, doesn’t have hobbies except maintaining her marksmanship skills at the gun range. During her earlier days in the police academy, she remained top of her class, and today remains in the top three at her former police unit in Ohio. To keep in shape, she runs and does yoga, but with protecting her theaters and the estate from killers, she doesn’t have extra time for hobbies. Now that I have her settled into running the Shakespeare Festival, she may find time to knit baby clothes for her best friend’s baby due to arrive in six months.

Marcus Singer’s hobby is keeping out of trouble that could put him back in prison. When Cait Pepper inherited the Bening Estate from an aunt she’d never heard of, Marcus came with it, as he’d been chosen by Cait’s aunt to help manage her Shakespeare Festival. He’d doted on Cait’s aunt, but when Cait moved in, he had a difficult time adjusting to the change. Now he’s showing interest in learning how to help manage the vineyard on the estate and taking classes at the local college.

Royal Tanner (RT), a navy SEAL and Cait’s love interest, has a tough time balancing his work schedule, time with his six-year old daughter Mindy, and spending more time with Cait and helping solve her estate problems. His hobby is his own vineyard in the San Diego area. Fortunately, his parents care for Mindy and also his vineyard when he’s away. RT would like to be a race car driver at the Indy 500.

To name a few of my own hobbies, they go from ice skating, basket weaving, macramé, knitting, hiking, to stained glass which lasted until I gave my desk up for writing. We all know writing is a messy business. Sadly, I sold all my glass to devote more space and time to writing. Here are a couple of my glass projects I’d like to share:

 

Favorite Foods

Cait Pepper, star character in my Shakespeare in the Vineyard series, doesn’t like to cook, but she’s pretty good with the microwave. Maybe it’s time I taught her a few of my favorite foods so she can impress Royal Tanner (RT).

Pecan cranberry salad adds a tangy taste to any meal and always pleases our guests:

The topping includes cream cheese, powdered sugar, pecans and adds a special touch to the salad.

I always make scalloped corn for Thanksgiving and Christmas, my mother’s recipe. Those of us from Ohio like corn prepared in many different dishes and it’s an easy one for Cait to fix. Then there’s Asparagus Canapes, a favorite. Because the recipe makes 75, they freeze beautifully. We love all the trimmings that go with a turkey or roast or ham. I only do a turkey for Christmas, about 20 pounds for just the two of us because we like turkey casseroles and sandwiches.

I make peanut brittle and buckeyes every year. They make great gifts for our neighbors. If the girls can’t come home for Christmas, we’ll be eating a lot of turkey. Happy Thanksgiving.

The Witching Hour by Carole Price

It was a dark and snowy night in March of 2001 when I learned about the dark and wild side of old Edinburgh, Scotland, while on a “Witchery” mirth-filled walking night tour. After dinner at the Witchery on Castlehill, top of the Royal Mile in front of the castle, another writer and I met up with our tour. The wind howled around the gray buildings as we strolled. I’d never been so cold in my life as our ghostly guide talked about Edinburgh’s long and gory past, the dark violence and crime, and descriptions of hangings and executions. As we walked along the eerie alleyways, cobbled streets and creepy, secluded courtyards, he talked about ghosts and witchcraft, murder and mayhem, and mixed historical fact with fable and a dash of humor. Visiting some horrific sites was like stepping back a few hundred years. Definitely scary, but I was not prepared when creatures popped out and rats crossed our paths. It wasn’t just the cold that had me shivering in my boots. I was not prepared for the unexpected. I will never forget Edinburgh or the tour. My only advice if going in winter is to dress warm and in layers—hat, gloves, long underwear, scarfs, earmuffs, and hiking boots.

On our last day in Edinburgh, we wondered up Grassmarket, below the castle, and came to Greyfriar’s Cemetery, where we heard about the story of Greyfriar’s Bobby, the dog who sat on his master’s grave for fourteen years. Several tall, moss covered stones caught my attention and I saw they were engraved with names of famous poets. Greyfriar’s is considered one of the top ten cemeteries in the world with the most ghosts.

Many people believe the witching hour marks a period of activity by witches, demons, ghouls, and other creatures who are not of this world. In some regions of the world, people still try to avoid going out late at night, while others who are interested in supernatural events make a deliberate effort to be out and about at midnight or thereabouts. I’m of neither group, but when you are doing research for a book, you become more adventurous.

Who Knew What, When, Why

Every year on the 4^th of July I’d wonder how the Russian composition, Tchaikovsky's 1812 Overture, became a staple of July 4^th patriotic celebrations. Thanks to the Internet, I now have my answer. It started in 1974 when Arthur Fiedler programmed it for the televised Boston Pops July 4^th concert and has since played from coast to coast. The dramatic performance includes fireworks, cannons, and church bells. I never miss the Pops televised celebration.

Why do onions make you cry? No matter which onion I’m cutting, my eyes blur and tear, making it difficult to see. I learned that onions are made of cells divided into two sections separated by a membrane. When you cut an onion, each side of the membrane mix and cause a chemical reaction which makes your eyes water. Maybe more than you care you know, but it happens to me all the time no matter what type of onion I’m using. Cutting an onion under running water doesn’t work for me, so I’m open to suggestions.

Who knew I would become a mystery writer. After all, I didn’t start thinking seriously about it until shortly before I retired, which gives you some idea I wasn’t a spring chicken. But that’s okay, maybe I’m more prepared to think of ways to kill someone. Smile. Not that I’m experienced, except for what I've read in books of murder and mayhem and later becoming a police volunteer. Being an avid mystery reader and one who loves puzzles, writing seemed an obvious choice, but what I wrote had to be fun and challenging at the same time. I never felt I could write better than other authors, but it was an opportunity to challenge myself to meet their standards.

I knew that when I retired I wanted to experience something fun and exciting that I’d never done before. With that in mind, I went up in a balloon over Park City, Utah, loved it and wanted to go again. Next, I went up in a glider. After the lead plane released us, we were on our own, soaring over northern California like an eagle. The silence was incredible, the experience breathtaking. Who knows what might come next.

News and Next Week: Why Do I Write?

News

• Friday, October 13, 12 to 3 PM, Camille Minichino will be teaching a brief class on Science, Technology, and Cultural Change. JFK in Pleasant Hill. 925-969-4600 to register.
• Sunday, October 15, 2 PM, Camille will moderate a mystery panel at the Castro Valley Library, with Ann Parker and others.

 

 

• Margaret Lucke will give a presentation on "7 Secret of Writing Great Fiction," followed by a brief talk about her new novel,  SNOW ANGEL, at Barnes & Noble, 1600 Gateway Blvd, Fairfield, CA, on Saturday, October 14, at 3 pm. Her appearance is part of the store's four-day Writer's Boot Camp program, being held October 12-15.

• Carole Price is still smiling over her soon-to-be-released Vineyard Prey. She thought it would never happen after her first publisher dropped their mystery line.
• Ann Parker is crawling to the edit finish line for her ms,  Fall on a Dying Note (or maybe it'll have a different title. Who knows?). By this time next week, the draft will be to the editor for scrutiny and she'll be "done" by definition (if not by inclination). Then, the waiting begins to hear what changes will be requested from on high.
• Ellen Kirschman has given three news interviews following the mass shooting in Las Vegas. If it had been a scene in her next mystery, no one would have believed it possible. She's participating in two upcoming events:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Next Week

Writing is hard. And it doesn't usually pay well. Your family and your day job resent the time spent away from them in a little office nook, or neighborhood coffee shop, or library. So why bother, especially now that the big publishers are consolidating and Amazon owns everything?

Well...maybe there's nothing quite like writing a perfect sentence. Or scaring the bejesus out of a reader with a plot twist she never saw coming. Join us next week as the LadyKillers wax poetical and practical about why they write.

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Animals in Books

I never had a dog until after I was married because no one was ever home to take care of one. I did have rabbits, baby chicks, fish, and a turtle. When our girls were little, we picked Archimedes out of a litter of pups, an adorable Schnauzer we called Archie. Since then I met Abby, another Schnauzer, who had been a show dog, but we lost her too soon from giardia. After that, my husband said no more dogs because it was too hard losing them. A few years later, daughter Carla went to Oakland to see a cat she’d seen advertised, instead came home with Shilo. She asked us to take her because she had several cats. Cliff said no but eventually he came around. That was seven years ago. Who could resist this cutie?

I love books with animals, particular horses and dogs, but seldom have I seen dogs in mysteries that aren’t cozies, except for police dogs. I introduced Niki, a chocolate lab, in Sour Grapes, the second book in my Shakespeare in the Vineyard series, at the suggestion of my niece’s husband who in real life owns Niki. I’m happy to say book three, Vineyard Prey, will be released October 21, and on the cover is Niki. I suggested he be there because he discovers a crucial piece of evidence, although some readers might think this book is a cozy. Take a look. . .

I wrote a short cozy last year as part of an anthology, called The Glass Birdhouse. That dog’s purpose was to notify neighbors that there had been a murder. Dogs add a soft touch to a story of murder and mayhem and to some characters’ hardened demeanor.

Mentors by Carole Price

The impact of mentoring can be life changing. In my situation, my mentor was a senior advisor who encouraged me to go to college even though I had no idea what I wanted to do. I thought it was a waste of money at the time, but I chose business until I decided what I wanted to do with my life. My mother had surprised me by getting a grant from one of her music affiliations to encourage me to continue my studies. I still didn’t know what I wanted to do, but how could I turn that offer down. So off I went to Ohio State, only two blocks from home, and enrolled. Three years later I dropped out and took night classes at OSU, thinking I would take what classes I wanted hoping something would ring a bell in my head and my heart. I took a speech class because I was scared to talk in front of a full classroom, hoping this would be a small class. Was I ever fooled—the room was packed! I wasn’t the only one who thought this would be a small class. Years later I went to school at Columbus Technical Institute, passed the boards, and became a realtor until we moved to California. I then returned to the classroom at Las Positas Collage in Livermore, California, then called Chabot College, and received my AA in business. A lot of schooling but not that final degree. Without my mother’s encouragement, I may never have gone to college.

During my eighteen years at Sandia National Labs, there were a lot of mentors, too many to name here, but they all encouraged me to apply to upper positions. I became a top secret classification officer, mentored secretaries on how to document classified documents, gave presentations to new hires, and taught shorthand to clerical staff. After I retired, I turned to murder.

My husband and I went to a book signing shortly after I retired and met Penny Warner. We talked some and then she invited me to join her critique group. I’d found my passion—become a mystery writer. I should have known because I’ve always been a prolific reader, mostly mysteries. Some of us just take a little while longer to find our goal in life.

My critique group of many, many years is encouraging and offer positive advice. The focus of our group is on supporting our growth and development. They are why I am published today. I’m a prolific reader, not so a writer, but I love every aspect of the business. I learn something new every day.

Fate or Free Will

How much control do you think you have over fate, destiny, or free will? I met my husband on a tennis court. I belonged to a tennis group and went to the courts by myself after work to practice my serve and was lucky—fate?—enough that five little boys were eager to chase my tennis balls until they were called for dinner. Cliff, my future husband, was already there practicing his serves against a wall. Without thinking about the differences between fate or destiny, which I use both interchangeably, I looked them up when I learned fate or free will was this week’s theme and . . . oh yes there is a difference. Fate is defined as inevitable, based on the belief that there is a fixed natural order to the universe. Destiny is used with regard to the finality of events or as a natural flow of events, like my marriage to the handsome tennis player. Free will is an illusion. Yes, we have freedom of thought and action. We all like to believe we are free to do what we want, while in reality I seldom fall far from who I am—my character, family obligations and morals.

Here I go quoting Shakespeare again but he clearly identifies the difference between free will and fate. He believed each man was the master of his life—not stars, not sorcerers, not oracles, but he also believed that certain forces—environmental, social, religious, emotional, and psychological—could weaken a person’s ability to make a rational decision. To quote from Shakespeare:

Men at some time are masters of their fates:
The fault, dear Brutus, is not in our stars,
But in ourselves, that we are underlings.
(Julius Caesar, 1.2.146)

In addition, Hamlet also stated,

Our wills and fates do so contrary run
That our devices still are overthrown;
Our thoughts are ours, their ends none of our own.

(Hamlet, 3.2.208)

 

Yes, we may think we have control over our fate, destiny and free will, but we cannot always control their end results.