Pen, Spoon & Dagger

In honour of the debut of the Maine Crime Writers' blog, I thought I'd offer a little mystery puzzle.  See if you can find the last names of the writers and their protagonists in the puzzle below.  Remember, words can go up, down, across or diagonally. M C M O R R O W N B D S G R S B S Z K E N S O O O S R N P U X O K V A J S Y U O D L I U M N X W M Z S L D R D C N M I M U F Y D U E E A R O L F E F E B A G G I R B G X J Y V L G R H A R A A T T E N N U D F F Y V E E P E M C C A B E O R Q L F H M P S E U H J H X N E D W H L G L X S R R R F M O C K S X W U E F D A T P V X R N A N W A I T R A B L P H M I E Z Y E S P O Z G R A G I Y O P O F J K W N D T F R U N T D S K I T Y E L H S U W H C P V P Y C Appleton      Bowditch      Boyle   Doiron   Doudera Dunnett   Farr    Fergusson   Flora   Glass   Hayman Kozak   McCab...

Today, July 18 th , is National Caviar Day.   Who knew?    June is also National Candy Month, National Dairy Month, National Fresh Fruit and Vegetables Month, National Iced Tea Month, and National Papaya Month.   Who knew? Or cares? Personally I think caviar is vile – probably a result of my brother telling me, in vivid detail, what it was when I had a large mouthful at age 7.   Mother was not amused when I spit it out. And, I’ve never touched the stuff again.   This is a bit of information none you are interested in, with good reason.   But what about the other sound bites we snatch every day? As a writer, I love sites that list trivia, and that includes the “today in history” pages.    How else would I know that on July 18 th , 1885, the Statue of Liberty arrived in New York Harbor aboard the French ship Isere , or that on this day in 1991, the remains of President Zachary Taylor were briefly exhumed to test a theory that Taylor had d...

Connecticut just had it's first heat wave of the summer. That means I'm concentrating on salads for dinner.  Check out one of my favourites. Shrimp & Asparagus Salad 3 cups spiral shaped pasta, uncooked   1 lb  shell-on medium sized shrimp   1 lb  asparagus, tough ends discarded, remainder cut into 2" pieces   ½ cup bottled ranch dressing   1 cup lite mayonnaise  (not salad dressing) ½ cup seafood cocktail sauce   2 Tbsp  fresh lemon juice   1 tsp Worcestershire sauce   1 large tomato, cored, seeded and chopped   6  scallions, sliced thinly on the diagonal   2 Tbs fresh parsley and chives, chopped   In a bowl, whisk together mayonnaise, ranch dressing, seafood cocktail sauce,lemon juice, Worcestershire sauce and salt& pepper to taste. Set aside. Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Add 1 Tbsp salt. Drop in the asparagus and cook 3 minutes. ...

Today I'm indulging in a flight of fancy - anything to escape the heat and humidity which have suddenly descended on Connecticut. A couple of days ago, a Jungle Red blogger posted about St. Hilda's Crime and Mystery Conference . held every August in Oxford, England. As I sit fanning myself with a paperback, my thoughts wander into the realm of "what if," as in what if I won the lottery or a rich relative (of which I have none) left me a large legacy. Normally, I only attend two conferences each year, more for financial reasons than anything else. One is Murder 203 , a Connecticut-based event heavily attended by readers as well as writers, and, of course, Crimebake . But, what if ? Just sit back and fantasize with me. St Hilda’s  is one of the longest running events in the United kingdom -- the first event having been held in 1994.  The annual themes have been as diverse as the presenters: “The Queen’s of Crime” (1994); “The Golden Age – There and Now” (1995);“...

One sure way to improve your writing is to learn from the best. And while we may not be able to agree on who is best , there are plenty of lists of there if you're willing to bend to general consensus. Pick a list of Top 100 books, and see how many you've read.  I chose the BBC's list since it was the first one Google brought up.  Since I'm writing a traditional mystery, I find myself drawn to that genre more than any other type of fiction, so I was pleasantly surprised to discover how many of the 100 books I have actually read: forty-eight (*)! Conversely, I'm amazed by the number of classics I haven't read. And even more ashamed that I've never even heard of a couple. *1. Pride and Prejudice – Jane Austen 2. The Lord of the Rings – J. R. R. Tolkien *3. Jane Eyre – Charlotte Bronte *4. Harry Potter series – J. K. Rowling (I’ve read all of them!) *5. To Kill a Mockingbird – Harper Lee *6. The Bible (parts, at least) *7. Wuthering Heights *8. Ninet...

May 4 th marks Audrey Hepburn’s birthday.   Obviously Hepburn is famous for her work in films and with Unicef, but in my mind, she will eternally be associated with the LBD – the Little Black Dress. Hepburn wore iconic LBDs in both Sabrina and Breakfast at Tiffany's . The "little black dress" from Breakfast at Tiffany's , designed by Givenchy, was sold at a Christie's auction on 5 December 2006 for £467,200 (approximately $920,000 at that time). Every woman needs at least one LBD. Personally, I have one for each season.   It’s an absolute essential in any woman's wardrobe. But that's not really the point. As a writer, I look at an empty page in my WIP in much the same way as I contemplate my LBD: a blank slate to accessorize, up or down as necessary, for the occasion.   I might add dialog or a red herring to the page, just as I’d add a scarf or a string of pearls.   Then it’s time to stand back, examine the result and judge the effect. Does it work...

Just back from Murder 203 - Connecticut's homegrown mystery festival.  Held for the third year, it's a fun mix of writers and fans organized by the hard working staff of the Easton library. This year's guest honour was the delightful Carolyn Hart, ably interviewed by Leslie Meier.  What a treat to hear the secrets behind this award-winning, cozy writer's success. Carolyn traveled all the way from Oklahoma to share her wit and wisdom with us.  Others on hand included Rosemary Harris, Jane Haddam,  Amy Patirica Meade, Meredith Cole, Stefanie Pintoff and Larry Beinhart.  In all more than a dozen authors, many from the tri-State area, participated in sessions ranging from "Leading Ladies" to Mistakes I Wish I'd Never Made." The highlight of the weekend (at least for me) is always the cocktail party held Saturday evening at the lovely Easton Library.  Mingling with authors and attendees over scrumptious hors d'oeuvres and a glass (or two) of wine...