Mystery Under the Vines

by Caren Crane

The scene: a quiet street in working-class neighborhood in the suburbs. A small elementary school sits on this street, where there is little traffic except on weekdays when school begins and ends. Across from the school, a wooded ravine, overgrown with ivy and vines winding over the ground, down the hillside and up the tree trunks.

Within the skeletal fingers of dead vines, buried in heavy mulch from years of fallen leaves, lay half-hidden, half-seen things. Things no one wanted, no one needed. Things that should remain hidden, things with stories unheard and untold.
People drove by every day. Parents picking up their children from the school across the road. Unsuspecting neighbors believing nothing more than trees and undergrowth dwelled in the woods in their midst.

What we discovered shocked us and the wondering neighbors who drove by - some several times - to see what was dragged up the hill from the overgrown depths. When my Girl Scout troop went yesterday to help with a local Litter Sweep, we had no idea what we would find. We had been told this spot needed "a lot of help", but were unprepared, first, for the overgrown state of the ravine and, second, for the sheer volume and disparity of objects we unearthed.

Many of these were not glamorous things: bottles (beer and liquor), cans (beer, soda and cat food), bags, cups, plates, wrappers, lids with straws. Some appeared to be in the ravine by mistake: a basketball, several soccer balls, the casings from roman candles. Some were clearly left for the sake of dumping convenience: a mattress, a space heater,a metal garbage can, a gas can, a futon pad, mini-blinds, a patio umbrella, a PC tower, a typewriter, a couple of car tires.

Still others made us wonder: a pair of pants, a nice pair of Nike tennis shoes, baby socks, adult socks, baby shoes. A crib. A meat cleaver. The sign pointing the way to a church in a nearby town. A pair of panties.

It wasn't just my writer's imagination that was piqued by all this "treasure". The girls in my troop – all high school juniors and seniors – crafted elaborate scenarios of how some things had come to be there. There were stories of young women making bad choices, trusting the wrong men. A young couple setting up a meth lab, trying to raise a baby they couldn't support and shouldn't have had. Until things went south and they had to ditch everything: the lab equipment, the burners, the futon, the crib. The wife. The cleaver. The baby.

By the time the girls got this far into the tale and we were deep in the ravine, we all fully expected to uncover skeletal human remains. It got very CSI down in there yesterday. Suddenly, our two and a half hours was up. There was more to be done, much more, but Starsky – our trusty town employee and clean-up supervisor – reclaimed our orange vests, gloves and trash picker-uppers.

Still, there is much more to be done in the ravine and there are many more stories for it to tell. The volunteer supervisor is sending us information on how to permanently adopt that spot, to come back on a regular basis and unearth more fascinating pieces of other peoples' lives. I feel sure we will. Who could resist all that buried drama waiting to be dragged from the vine-choked depths of the ravine? Not I.

What about you? Have you encountered a place that made your mind race with speculation? A house, an empty lot, an abandoned space, that compelled you to recreate how it came to be in its current state? We would love to hear about your mysterious spot and the story it told to you.

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Be sure to stop by later this month. Beginning on October 14, we will be giving away tricks and treats daily in anticipation of our BIG SURPRISE coming at the end of the month. Don't miss out!

CSI Launch in the Lair!

by Jo Robertson

We're not exactly having a Launch Party today. Do I hear groans and sighs of disappointment. The Banditas and their BB's are always up for a raucous event.


Never fear! We have the usual finger foods and goodies on hand. Sven's been hard at work in the kitchen making canapes and those little barbecued sausages, as well as caviar and champagne.

Unfortunately he's not getting the usual "help" from Lars, who's promised everyone a foot massage today. It's probably just as well since Lars tends to drop things.

The party preparations are on temporary halt, however, because we have a serious problem in the Lair.

Someone (andI'm not mentioning any names) stole the proof copy of Jo-Mama's debut book "The Watcher."


In case you're confused look to the left for Evidence #1 -- the purloined book!

Missing, MISSING, I tell you! And someone must pay!

You might suspect the Golden Rooster carried the book off to the Land of Oz or even -- shudder -- to the "right coast." Or perhaps a Bandita Buddy from down south "appropriated" the proof prize. Not naming names, again, but I hear some of those southern gals have sticky fingers.

In fact, our famous Chook is NOT the culprit, but the investigator. So line up the usual suspects and let the case begin!

GR: What? What? Oh, that's right, some naughty visitor to the Lair has stolen Jo-Mama's proof of "The Watcher." Let me see, let me see (dons his Sherlock Holmes hat and whips out his magnifying glass).

Sven: Not I! I've been slaving in the kitchen for days (looks darkly at Lars). With NO help, I might add.

Lars: Don't look at me (eyes Aunty Cindy's pretty colored toes greedily). I've been playing with pinkies all day.

[Enter Gladiators Demitrius and Marcus, flashing swords.]

Jo-Mama: What about those two?

GR: Not likely. They never learned to read, just a bunch of steroid-pumped hunks (looks jealously at the Gladiators).

JM: Say it isn't so! Reading is the foundation of civilization!

GR: Whatever. (Bends over, examining a dusty spot on the end table of the reading room.) Hmmmm, looks like the book was lying here.

JM: Good grief! How can you tell MY book was there? There are millions of Bandita books around here. (Flings her arms wildly) It IS the Romance Bandits Lair, after all. Books are coming out all the time!

GR: I see dead people.

JM: What are you talking about, you crazy chook?

GR: Dead people! Aren't your books full of dead people?

JM: Well, sure, "The Watcher" is a romantic thriller, but it's not ALL about murder and mayhem. There's a very sensual love story in it. Kate and Slater have an instant connection between them, and although she's single minded to the point of annoyance, Slater's just the man to, uh . . . distract her.

Take a look at Evidence #2 -- the back cover blurb:

Forensic psychiatrist Kate Myers believes the killer of two teenage girls in Bigler County, California, is the same man who savagely murdered her twin sister over fifteen years ago. Working with a single-minded tenacity, she sets out to prove it.

Deputy Ben Slater hides his personal pain behind the job, but Kate's arrival in his county knocks his world on its axis. He wants to believe her wild theory, but the idea of a serial killer with the kind of pathology she proposes is too bizarre.

Together they work to find a killer whose roots began in a small town in Bigler county, but whose violence spread across the nation. A Janus-like killer, more monster than man, he fixates on Kate. The killer wants nothing more than to kill the "purple-eyed girl again."

[Enter Paolo, Lucius, and the Hockey Hunks, led by Zach, all bearing trays of champagne and bottle of Coke and Pepsi -- perennial rivals in the Lair]

GR: (shouting at the top of his lungs) Let the festivities begin!

AC: (Grabbing for the champagne) Give me one of those! (sniffs loudly) I hope that nasty Ermigarde isn't going to eat all the food.

GR: (Stumbles about, muttering) Clues, clues, must follows the clues.

Readers, join us in the hunt for my proof copy of "The Watcher." Who do YOU think purloined the book? One of the Banditas or Buddies? One of the Lair denizens or guests? Or someone we'd never, ever think of! Heh, heh, who's the main suspect??!!

One clever commenter who convinces me who the guilty culprit is and WHY will receive a free download of "The Watcher" when it becomes available the end of August.

Everyone who emails me a snail mail addy (jo.lewisrobertson@yahoo.com) will receive an autographed postcard of the book cover and will be entered to win a PRINT COPY of "The Watcher."

Mentalist Vs. CSI Vs....Writer?

by Jeanne Adams

Alllllrighty, ladies and gents (but mostly geared to the ladies, sorry, guys!), let's talk television. I have a hot debate for you. If you had to choose between the following wonderful TV men, who would you choose?

A. The Mentalist - Patrick Jane

Jane is a former celebrity psychic who now works as a civilian consultant to the California Bureau of Investigation. He riles up his boss, Senior Agent Theresa Lisbon, breaks the rules and generally solves the cases. Not to mention being fabulous eye candy. There's great repartee between Lisbon and Jane, the rest of the team is sharp and interesting. All in all, great entertainment.
B. CSI Las Vegas - Nick Stokes

If you've been following the blog for the last three years you've no doubt learned that I'm a huge fan of darling CSI boy-o Nick Stokes. He's very smart, very focused on his work and he has a boyish charm; an a "I don't know I'm cute" sort of charm. While he has a bit of a college frat boy thing going, he's also a brilliant criminalist. He's the "everyman" of the CSI Vegas team, slogging through data like a machine, but he's also the constant character that stays solid as other characters revolve in and out of the various storyline.

C. Castle - Richard Castle

Oh, my. What's to say about Castle? ABC says: "He's famous. He's gorgeous. He's smart as hell." Ohhhhh, yeah. There's that lovely tension with Kate Beckett, who secretly is a fan, but trys to pretend she isn't and who is totally snarky, competent, and brilliant. As a team, they are magnificent, within the greater team on the show and with the foil of his wonderful flamboyent mother and down-to-earth daughter. The interactions are fabulous.

D. None of the Above.

Really? You wouldn't pick any of these?

What about Jethro Gibbs from NCIS?

Or perhaps Derek Morgan from Criminal Minds - AKA the amazing Shemar Moore ? (Isn't that the most....hmmm...rippped picture?)

Or the ever delicious LL Cool J from NCIS: Los Angeles. What a wonderful new addition to the line up. Happy sigh. He hasn't lost any of his charm, or sex appeal with age. I love that in a man, don't you?

Maybe Choice D. should be ALL of the Above?

I don't have a lot time to watch TV these days. I'm a full time writer, a full time Mom. A full time "Estate Manager" for the house and home. I do some consulting, I do some other stuff professionally. I'm on the Board for RWA.

There are so many full time jobs in my life that TV is just one of those things that seem to fall by the wayside.

Then came the TV with the DVR.

"Ooooooh, shiny!" (As Christine would say. Snork.)

Now I can watch allll I want. I like this.

I actually have come to realize that it may be as important to watch TV as it is to constantly be reading (and refilling the creative well) when you're a writer.

Hey, Castle does it.

Seriously, popular culture influences trends and influences readers as much as it does writers-as-watchers. It also influences agents and editors. How many times are we asked, as writers pitching a new story idea to either an agent or editor, "What's it like?" We often reference these cultural icons to define essential pieces of our stories.

When my agent asked me to describe what my dark urban fantasy was "like," (and thus hopefully help her find it a home) I was able to sum it up as "It's Men in Black meets Walker, Texas Ranger." She got it in one. So if any editors out there are interested....*crickets chirping*...Bueller? Bueller? (ahhh, now THERE's an iconic reference!)

Grins.

Iconic references aside, I'll give you the caveat that you have to be careful about some references. If a show - like Walker - has been off the air for a while and isn't featured on TV Land, and the editor is quite young, they may not have ever seen Walker, Texas Ranger.

And despite all the Flair on Facebook referring to Chuck Norris, there are a lot of people who don't know who he is. I know, I know, it surprises me too. Those of us who are into kick-em-up-shoot-em-up movies know, of course but not young, not-long-out-of-college editors.

Now long time editors, like dyed-in-the-wool Hollywood types and movie and tv buffs, they know these cultural icon references pretty well. For instance, you could say:

"It's like Beauty and the Beast meets Boston Legal."

"It's like Lost meets Swiss Family Robinson, Harlequin style."

They'd get the picture. Ohhh, the possibilities.

So, friends, who's your current TV Crush? I admitted yesterday that I have a slight crush on Tom Collichio from Top Chef - hey, he can cook, he's smart...what's not to crush on? Of course this was in Christine's blog on sweet little sins. It's just a little crush.

The crush on Nick Stokes? That, my friends, is huge.

C'mon now, fess up. Who's your crush?

Also, do you believe it's important to know about TV and it's pop culture when you write? (Historical authors can skip this question...)

As a reader, do you like it when an author uses a reference to TV or movies you know? Do you think it dates a book if they do it?

Tell alll.....

Oh, and if you're a writer, what's your pitch? How would you describe your book in pop-culture terms? Grins.