Mystery Author Tells All

Query for Award-Winning Suspense Novel

2011-05-03T08:45:00.000-07:00

I'm chagrined to say I can't locate my original query letter for my award-winning first suspense novel Deadly Choices. It has been six years since that manuscript was accepted for publication. That document must have inadvertently been deleted from an earlier computer's memory card.
So here's a reasonable facsimile of my query, to the best of my memory. Hope this helps!

Dear Ms. _____,
It was a delight meeting you at Love is Murder. At your request, I am submitting this query of my first suspense novel, Deadly Choices ((66,000 wds.), for your perusal and possible representation.

One foggy November morning on Chicago's West Side, paramedic trainee Beth Reilly kidnaps the baby she's just delivered and gives it to her best friend, a Born-Again Christian, to raise as her own. Friendship, trust, betrayal. (In retrospect, I would have inserted two or three sentences lifted from my two-page synopsis to flesh out the story plot, yet not include the evidence that would solve the mystery. That evidence, however, would be included in the synopsis should it later be requested.)

I was former president of Off-Campus Writer's Workshop in Winnetka, Illinois; a 250-member group that invites published authors in various genres, as well as literary agents, to conduct weekly workshops for writers of all ability levels. For thirteen years, I worked as a freelance journalist for local and national publications partially including The Chicago Tribune, The Chicago-Sun Times, Chicago Parent Magazine, and Consumer's Digest Magazine. I belong to Sisters in Crime.
Know that I am open to constructive criticism if it makes my manuscript more marketable. Sales and marketing comes naturally to me. I enjoy speaking in public and would be open to speaking at mystery conferences, bookstores, and libraries when my book gets published. (This was before on-line book tours, etc.)
If you would like to see the synopsis or the first three chapters of Deadly Choices (the agent would have listed in Writer's Market what to send first, second, etc.), feel free to contact me at _phone number_____. (If I had a website at that point, I would have included it.) Your feedback is appreciated.

Sincerely,
Jennie Spallone

How to Insert Your Platform into a Query Letter

2011-04-20T19:02:00.000-07:00

A mystery novel query letter to a literary agent should include four single-spaced paragraphs in its 250-word entirety. But there's more that needs to be couched within those paragraphs than meets the eye -- the platform, to be exact!

Prior to Paragraph 1, insert a greeting line: Dear Ms. Greenbaum,

Paragraph 1: Two-sentence description of why you are querying that particular agent (met at writers' conference, researched that agent's genre interests on Internet, found in Writer's Market, referred by another author), along with the italicized title of your book and its word count,
Paragraph 2: Forty to fifty word description of your novel, i.e. introduce your main character and immediately share her/his problem/choice, along with who wants to foil that character's plan and why.
At the end of that paragraph, include your PLATFORM: list three themes in your novel that will spark interest in your readers, i.e. gardening, dogs, foreclosures, child abuse, terrorist attacks. You can also compare two authors, i.e. Dean Koontz meets Sara Paretsky, or compare two authors' main characters -- can't help you on that one. I stink at recalling character names. Think of it like Wonder Woman meets Willy Wonka. Of course any comparison you use must flow with the tone of your book.

Paragraph 3: Tell the agent why you are qualified to write this book, i.e. speaking engagements, special interest, career, hobby, volunteer activity, education degree in that particular subject area.
Paragraph 4: Check submission guidelines before e-mailing or mailing your query. If agent only asks for this one document, ask if you may send the first-three chapters or a proposal of your manuscript. Sign off by saying: Looking forward to hearing from you....

Then sign off with:
Sincerely,
Name,

address
telephone number
e-mail address
website address

How to Write a Kick-Butt Query Letter!

2011-04-12T10:34:00.000-07:00

This month I'm teaching an on-line course for MWA Mystery Writers of America www.mysterywriters.org entitled How to Write a Kick-Butt Query Letter! The resources we're using (See below) are thorough in the nuts & bolts of query letter construction, i.e. One single-spaced page of 250-300 words condensed into 3 to 4 paragraphs, a double space between paragraphs, each paragraph with a designated purpose, title and word count mentioned in first paragraph (80,000 to 100,000 wds. for adult, 40,000 to 60,000 for young adult), all typed in Times New Roman 12-pt. font size.

I used these same guidelines in my award-winning first novel Deadly Choices. http://www.jenniespallone.com/ Yet life is not just in the structure of a query letter, but in its overall "personality." The gusto that inspires a literary agent to ask for the first three chapters of your manuscript rather than toss your letter into the land-fill. Tune in for more on this subject....

Writing a Successful Query Letter, Joe Moore, KILL ZONE blog, 3/11/2009
How to Write a Query, AGENT QUERY

Query Shark Blog, Janet Reid

How to Write a Query Letter for a Mystery Novel, Nancy Curteman blog, 11/4/2010

My Novel's Going to be an E-Book!

2011-01-17T08:45:00.000-08:00

With everybody snatching up Kindles and other E-book readers and IPADS, it's paramount for an author to flash their stuff across the continents! I'm excited to announce that my first suspense novel Deadly Choices http://www.jenniespallone.com/ will soon be coming out as an E-Book, and everything that's "E", through Untreed Press. I should wait until the contract is burning into my sweaty little hand, but I couldn't wait to share! Would you be more likely to read a book on Kindle, etc. rather than in a hard copy? Let me know!

Is a Developmental Edit Worth the Money?

2010-11-21T08:38:00.000-08:00

After submitting my second suspense manuscript Window of Guilt to over twenty agents/small publishers with no success, I finally broke down and hired a developmental editor to varnish my writing. Line editors, or copy editors, focus on grammar, punctuation, spelling, and syntax. Developmental editors, on the other hand, gauge pacing of the novel, intensity of plot, point of view characters, setting, and character development.

In Deadly Choices, my first suspense novel, Treble Heart Books provided me with Barb, a talented developmental editor. Can you imagine being in the heads of two dozen characters? Barb helped me slim down to three point-of-view characters. A former newspaper editor, Barb aided me in my quest for written perfection. Yet she never stepped in to feed me the answers.

This time around, I had to bite the Kiwi - I'm allergic to that fruit - and pay for my own developmental edit. In this economy, coming up with the same amount of money it takes to feed a family of four for six weeks is no easy task. Fortunately my spouse was supportive in my endeavor and Charis, my new developmental editor, accepts partial payments.

I found Charis on Craig's list. A former contributing editor to Harper's Magazine, Engish professor, and developmental editor of mystery and literary fiction, Charis fed me a ten page report citing holes and redundancies in my story, along with misused words or phrases. Within those pages, she also pointed out the strong points of my manuscript. Two weeks into my developmental edit, I still find the corrections challenging to locate since neither chapter nor page numbers were provided. Yet I am coming along nicely, as they say. I'll let you know how I progress.

Go to http://www.ezinearticles.com/ to learn what developmental editing is all about.

Turning a Novel into a Script

2010-10-06T22:38:00.000-07:00

It's no easy feat working with a scriptwriter, no matter how talented that person is, to turn your novel into a script. I'm finding that the young scriptwriter I chose from Craig's List http://www.craigslist.com/ has some great ideas on how to expand the sub-plot of Deadly Choices (http://www.jenniespallone.com/). Yet his dialogue is stilted because he is not from Chicago and finds it challenging to relate to the mannerisms and culture I describe.

How does one describe a city's vitality/? Mayor Daley's goal to provide safe passage to school for kids living in crime invested areas? To rid the city of gangs through http://www.chicagoneighborhoodwatchgroups.org/ Neighborhood Watch Groups in which communities and police share information. To educate all children by holding teachers acountable. To crack down on corrupt cops. To acknowledge paramedics, firefighters, police officers, http://www.chicagopolicedepartment.org/ and good samaritans who do so much for our city. To beautify our parks and lakefront, and offer terrific museums, http://www.chicagomuseums.org/, the Art Institute, http://www.artinstitute.com/ dance and theatre performances http://www.chicagotheatre.com/ , and musical events. To provide a multi-cultural setting in which people of all different races and religions comfortably co-exist. http://www.chicagolakefront.org/

Then there's the sleazy side of Chicago, with its homeless folks, drug addicts, alcoholics, gang members, killings, and corrupt politicians. Parts of the city where cops have no compunction about stopping a car because its driver or passengers are "driving while Black." How do you explain the dichotomy to someone from a more homogenous environment?

I suspect that the only way my scriptwriter will learn our ways is the hard way, through trial and error. That's the breaks. For Chicago, authenticity is the only game in town....

Dumbest Obscene Phone Call!

2010-09-29T09:28:00.000-07:00

A couple of days ago, I'm at the vet having my dog's anal glands expressed when I receive an obscene voicemail message. A professional-sounding man was seeking males or females interested in anal sex! I immediately turned the phone over to the receptionist who, unlike me, listened to the complete jaw-dropping message. On the way to the police station to file a report, I burst out laughing. The caller left his name and telephone number. I envisioned my response: "Only if you buy a house from me!" No such luck. The phone number had been cloned.

September 21, 4pm ET: Join a Health Care Conference Call with President Obama - URJ

2010-09-19T05:51:00.000-07:00

September 21, 4pm ET: Join a Health Care Conference Call with President Obama - URJ

We have a chance to influenece President Obama on Sept. 21 regarding affordable health care for all. If you don't want to participate in the conference call, send me your questions and I'll ask them!

Mystery Author Tells All: Preview "I've Missed You!"

2010-09-09T21:18:00.000-07:00

Mystery Author Tells All: Preview "I've Missed You!"

2010-09-09T21:16:00.000-07:00

Mystery Author Tells All: Preview "I've Missed You!"

So Much for Psychics!

2010-04-28T21:48:00.000-07:00

Turns out the psychic was wrong. The literary agent who wanted my second suspense novel was a quack, at least according to Absolute Write and Predators & Editors: two indispensible guides for authors seeking literary representation.

It's so difficult to know who to trust. Fiction is a striped cat. Authors get tired of sending out queries when the tantalizing aroma of self-publishing lies just around the corner. But just like pre-marital sex in the '50s, one must not give in until all other exploration has gone south.

All is not lost, however. Four scriptwriters of varying expertise currently compete to adapt my award-winning first suspense novel Deadly Choices, now five years old. And I shall continue to participate on mystery author panels at conferences throughout the country -- and tell myself: Get it together. Your time will come....

Psychic's Good News

2010-04-14T07:04:00.000-07:00

I just started working with a real estate client who says he runs everything through his "prophet" before he decides which property to buy. Turns out his prophet is Grandma Rose. In my vocabulary, "prophet" equals "psychic." I decided to give her a call -- not regarding my success in the real estate business but as an author!

Grandma Rose, who now resides in Mississippi, originally hails from Chicago. Thus her comments or revelations, depending on your level of spirituality at the time, are drop-dead blunt tinged with smatterings of southern .

For my second suspense novel Window of Guilt, Rose sees a Jewish or Italian bearded man with a broad smile and a sharp scissors cutting the red ribbon that encases my manuscript! She says it's an agent I've recently sent to, although she knows not his name.

My third novel Fatal Reaction only needs a bit more editing, according to Rose. True enough, it needs to be elongated another thirty pages. Then it's ready to go! Rose says agents will attempt to talk me out of the school setting but I should stay true to my beliefs, i.e. keep it! That novel will also find a home with a publisher.

Lastly, my fourth novel Psychobabble. Rose says this manuscript should be the easiest to sell because it's got lots of fascinating characters.

If this psychic is clued in on any of the above, I can look forward to an exciting future! I'm sending Rose a carton of books -- not my own -- as a Thank You. If you're interested in talking to Rose, shoot me an e-mail and I'll act as the conduit!

A Rocking Passover Sedar!

2010-03-31T22:37:00.000-07:00

Last night was the second night, thus the second Passover sedar. The word "sedar" means "order." We read the Haggadah (spelling?) which describes Moses leading the Jewish slaves out of Egypt. They'd been building those pyramids for Pharoah for 400 years and were way tired!

Because we have a small extended family, we always invite friends over to celebrate. This time we blended several new friends from various walks of life with a few "old" friends. What was cool was that although each person was Jewish by heritage, their personal recollections of their childhood Passover sedar experiences were totally different.

In the 1960s and '70s, Reform Jews grew up reading from the free but boring Maxwell House Coffee Haggadahs. Today, those are still available but really dry. Over the years, our family was fortunate to accumulate some beautifully illustrated Haggadahs with insightful discussion questions printed in the margin of each page. For example, "In what ways are we slaves today?"

But the rocking part of the sedar was the naming of the ten plgues G-d visited upon the Egyptians when Pharoah refused to let the Jews go. We distributed plastic frogs, cows, lions, lice, hail, etc., along with masks my artist friend, Tobi Abrams, made to describe each plague! Each of the ten participants held up that particular item when it was named. It brought some levity to the sedar. Definitely a new custom for everyone in attendance!

To our family, the whole idea of the sedar is not something to rush through so we can eat, but rather an hour-long oasis in which to reflect about our lives through various discussion questions threaded through the service. COMMENTS

Yesterday was Literary Agent Query Day

2010-03-13T22:48:00.000-08:00

Yesterday I'm proud to report I e-mailed out five queries to literary agents regarding representation for my suspense novel Window of Guilt (87,000 wds.) My first published suspense novel, Deadly Choices, only ran 212 pages, but the new manuscript comes in at 367. While Deadly Choices is about a female paramedic on chicago's West Side who kidnaps the baby she just delivered and gives it to her best friend, a Born Again christian, to raise (See http://www.jenniespallone.com/), the character-driven Window of Guilt is about a health insurance adjuster's wife who discovers a dead body on the front lawn of her summer home. While she runs in to phone the police, the body disappears. Her hubby says she's nutso. Unfortunately, so do the cops. So she hooks up with a female detective to solve the case.

Missing Purim

2010-03-01T06:30:00.000-08:00

Yesterday I dressed up in a pencil lead gray sweater decorated with BLING! I fully intended on attending the Megillah reading at the temple and planned on playing the part. The Megillah is the Story of Queen Esther; she convinces King Akashvayros to prohibit Haman, his adviser, from slaying all the Jews in the land. We're talking biblical days here, but heck, that theme still prevails. Anyway, Esther's Uncle Mordechai is the conduit in this story. After learning about the scheduled destruction, he tells the Jewish queen to 1) confess to her husband that she, in fact, is Jewish, and 2) fulfill the above task without putting her own life in jeopardy. A daunting task for a girl probably under the legal drinking age.

Esther fears for her life, but her uncle insists the king loves her and would do nothing to shorten her life. He tells her to think beyond herself and do G-d's will, which is to save the Jewish people. To ease her way into the king's most loving graces, Esther throws a three-day dinner party. The king really loves to eat and drink!
Esther also invites Haman as the guest of honor. she asks him what one thing he would do to his nemesis -- except in those days, she said "one who plots against you." In this case, we're talking Uncle Mordechai.

Full of himself, as well as food and drink, Haman answers that he would ride in a golden chariot, dragging the hated person by rope through the streets. At that point, Queen Esther confides in the king what will befall herself and her people should he not intervene. King A. takes immediate action against Haman.

To this day, people gaily dress up in costume, listen to the reading of the Megillah, and engage in hearty food and drink. They also deliver Shalach Monos (sp.?); goodies to the poor. And they eat Homentaschen (sp.?); three-corner jelly-filled cookies reminiscent of the Haman's hat. They also drown out the evil man's name by shaking greggors during the Megillah reading. Kind of like "pooh, pooh" when you've swallowed an insect.

But I didn't want to attend because at this time of year, the temple is filled with little tykes and adults in Halloween-type costumes. I was coming straight from work, but more honestly, I just didn't want to engage in this play world. My kids are too old for this frivolity, too.

Instead I spent the whole day worrying about not attending. My guilty mind-set finally eased when a good friend dropped off some Shalach Monos of her own for me: a 1-ounce container of bubble water, two cookies, and a sprinkling of Hershey kisses in a colorful Chinese take-out container! The gift was supposed to be anonymous, but somehow she knew my soul needed that "lift." In a note, she assured me she'd already attended two Megillah readings, enough for both of us.

Better luck next year! Have you ever felt guilty about not attending a temple or church service? How did you handle it??

My First Internet Book Interview

2010-02-25T06:54:00.000-08:00

Last Sunday, I was interviewed for the first time on my first suspense novel Deadly Choices (http://www.jenniespallone.com/ )via the Internet. Audrey Schaffer moderated the Writers Chatroom (http://www.writerschatroom.com/) interview. Readers and authors "lined up" to pose their written question, then I responded in like.

It was a whole different sweet potato, responding in writing rather than shooting my mouth off at mystery author conferences. For one thing, I had to type almost as fast as I talk -- didn't want the question poser thinking I wasn't attentive. For another thing, I needed to completely focus on responding to a particular question instead of blossoming into another tangent. The tricky part was responding in an authentic, yet humorous vein to keep participants from logging off!

What helped was logging on to the Writers Chatroom the prior Wednesday night. Wednesday nights are open chats. It gets crazy in there with everybody chatting at breakneck speed on lots of trivial stuff. Needless to say, I was afraid to stick my hangnail into the discussion for fear of being trampled!

Finally, I dived into the conversation, asking what genre fit my second novel. Once I got people focused on answering my questions, I felt successful. Check the website out for yourself on Wednesday nights from 7:00 to 9:00 CST and let me know what you think!

The Promise of Writing Yet Another Chapter

2010-01-21T19:44:00.000-08:00

When it comes to most aspects of my life, I'm an impatient sort. Yet when it comes to staring down an idea until it finally pops, I'm an absolute Buddah! Why the ego separation? For one thing, I love writing. Love plucking just the right word to complete a sentence.Love binding concepts so that one idea flows effortlessly into the next. Love allowing room for the plot to unfold without use of my midwife skills. (This I mean in the most general of terms since I've never been in the health care field!)

Although I can't read other mysteries when I'm flush into writing my own, I have no problem listening to suspense novels while I'm driving back and forth to work. In that environment, I can anonymously observe the twists and turns of a well-plotted story. Then, armed with the proper tools to employ in my own manuscript, I can go deeper, flow faster, and capture the essence of yet another chapter.

Reading all the Books in the World

2009-12-20T20:10:00.000-08:00

Tonight I was at Barnes & Nobles in Dearpark to support Reality Theatre's gift wrapping fundraiser. Reality Theatre's a great organization. They chose twenty-one teenagers from all over the Chicagoland area to improvise and perform anti-drugs, anti-drinking, and anti-smoking skits at schools throughout the area. The least I could do was support the cause.

It's exciting to meander through a book store, dabbling in book ownership possibilities. Perusing the titles in a book store in search of a particular item is quite opposite from my goal-less adventure tonight. This time, I was just killing time. My wandering was a free and lucid journey through the recesses of my interest inventory.

I daydreamed down the psychology and children with special needs aisles, although my main interest was discovering new mystery authors, as well as authors with whom I had done booksignings at mystery conferences throughout the country.

In college, I set out to read as many new authors as possible, this in a library setting as my pocketbook was far less accomodating than my imagination. I'd pored through Ann Rand's the Fountain Head and Atlas Shrugged and learned about the affect of pure capitalism on society from the point of view of a female architect.

Later I moved on to Theodore Dreiser, an author who wrote fascinating, introspective novels about the impact of science, economics, and chance on our humanity. After all these years, Sister Carrie sticks out in my mind. In it, the author explored a young woman's attempt to make it in the outside world at a time when women were either homemakers or harlots.

These days, I'm lucky if I get to read two pages of a book before fading off into la-la land. I am humbled by the ambitious reading goals that held me when I was unencumbered by career or family. Yet tonight's journey through the book store refreshed my spirit. My soul sparkles in the night, as if it just returned from a star spa.

Book Revisions

2009-12-03T08:38:00.000-08:00

Serious authors realize that a plethora of revisions are necessary before submitting their completed manuscript to a literary agent or book publisher. While some writers dread that tedious task, others like myself savor it! It's a real adrenalyn boost to discover the exact word or phrase that describes an emotional reaction, setting, or dialogue you wish to convey to your readers.

The caveat in revision: Don't devote an inordinate amount of brain cells to "fixing" the chapters you've already written when you should be staggering towards the finish line. In my first suspense novel, the award-winning Deadly Choices (http://www.jenniespallone.com/) , I revised each chapter each time I sat in front of the computer. Then I'd move ahead to my writing of the day.

By my third novel, I'd resolved to plug ahead until I was three-quarters of the way through the manuscript. What pain and guilt I felt in that process! Like being unable to scratch a series of mosquito bites because your hands are tied behind your back!

I did plug on, however. Window of Guilt, my third novel is almost completed. I'll be searching for an agent or a mid-sized publisher once my "who done it" character comes clean. Yesterday, I tried to urge her on but she led me on a different course! Manna for another blog....

Couples Retreat Movie Offers Insights for Today's Busy Couples

2009-11-22T18:21:00.000-08:00

Last night we went with another couple to see Couples Retreat. We were in the mood for "funny" and this movie fit the bill -- with a little couples therapy thrown in for good measure. Vince Vaughn plays the main character; a married guy who works twelve hours a day, attends his kids' sports games, and is main problem solver/money man for his friends. He has little time for his wife. His wife is into remodeling their house, as well as making sure the kids are fed and homework done before driving them to their sports activities. Although their life is a maze of activities, they don't see themselves as having marital problems.

Their friends, however, are experiencing all kinds of emotional turmoil, from extramarital affairs and divorce, to disillusionment at not being able to get pregnant. The infertile couple force their friends to sit through a Power POint presentation on an exotic Get Away that pledges to improve a couple's relationship with their spouse. The other couples initially offer up excuses as to why they can't attend, but eventually all eight men and women are stepping off the wonder boat and onto the fertile island of Bali. They assume fun and games are in their near future, but surprise, surprise. Drinking and partying are on a sister island that's meant fo singles, only. The itinerary they receive is work, work, work, spelled "Therapy."

It's difficult to imagine that such a topic could be so hysterically funny. Yet the reactions of each couple as they deal with their own personal therapist and explore the implications of their actions hits home. I don't want to give away the ending. Let it suffice to say that you'll recognize yourself or a family member or friend in at least one of these couples. Let me know what you think....

Even Book Authors Experience the Blues

2009-11-20T18:37:00.000-08:00

There I was, re-editing my third suspense novel for the zillionth time, when I realized I didn't know where to set my third to last scene. At this point in the story, my amateur sleuth is in the hospital after being attacked. She's just been visited by her best friend as well as interviewed by a police detective. She's about to come face to face with the one person who can unlock all the answers. However she needs a new setting for this encounter-- and she can't be recouping at home.

It's natural for a writer to peer over the precipice and wonder what lies beneath. At times there are a vast array of choices in which to paint the setting, at other times not nearly enough. This was one of those other times. Thus, the frustration.

Share your suggestion for a setting. We're talking straight mystery here, not fantasy, sci fi, or romance. If I use your suggestion, I'll put you in the acknowledgement section of the book!

Falling Behind

2009-11-09T20:08:00.000-08:00

Ever feel like you're falling behind? Bought a couple of condos as investments when economic times were good. After all, I'm a Realtor as well as a writer. I should know the score, right? Wrong. Not even the big whigs knew the true height of the cliff from which we were soon set to plunge. Yesterday's Tribune said fifty percent of homeowners have run in the other direction rather than phone their mortgage lenders to ask for refinancing assistance. Not me, baby! I picked up the phone and dialed my new lender. the person I needed to talk to wasn't available but the person who answered the phone was so courteous and caring that I went away feeling that I'd made the right decision to leave my message with him so that he might pass it on to the appropriate party. Just to make sure that, in fact, my message did reach the appropriate party, I hinted that I wouldn't be making my next mortgage payment until I spoke to that person. The young man assured me that he'd e-mail his supervisor ASAP. Now that's what I call service!

Driving to Bouchercon 2009, Indianapolis

2009-11-05T20:19:00.000-08:00

I initially felt uncomfortable about driving the four hours from Chicago to Indianapolis but popped in an audio tape of Kill Me by Stephen White and was good to go. The idea was intriguing: if, while in good health, you could specify the physical and mental state of being that would make your life no longer worth living, plus you had all the money in the world, would you take out an "insurance policy" instructing a private company to kill you once you reached that stage? What would the implications be, not just for you but for your family and friends? The book definitely kept my interest on the way there and back. What do you think about this concept??

Halloween at Firefighters' Swap Meet

2009-11-01T20:07:00.000-08:00

After several days of co-habitating with a low-intensity virus which left me tired and headachy, I got it together for my book signing at the Firefighters Swap Meet at Mundelein High School. I've been doing the Swap Meet for three years and I didn't want to break my stride. I was worried on four accounts::

1) Had the majority of EMTs and firefighters who frequent the fire fighting equipment antiques fair already purchase autographed copies of my Chicago-based suspense novel Deadly Choices?

2) Would the other vendors be decked out in Halloween costumes or those shirts with the cute little pumpkins or scary black cats? I hadn't had the time or energy to drum up a costume.

3) Should I make a touchy/feely bag with gross things to touch as folks walked by my table?

4) Was one bag of candy plus a tupperware container of homemade chocolate chip cookies enough to lay out on my table?

All that worrying took up the early part of Saturday morning. By the time I arrived at the High School, it was 10:00 a.m. -- would have been there earlier but for a McDonalds sausage biscuit and pancakes attack --and the event was scheduled to close up at 1:30 p.m.

Sure enough, there were different people here from last year and the year before. Heard some great EMT stories for my next book. The Citizens' Fire Academy polo shirt I sported produced more interest than if I'd worn a costume. None of the other vendors dressed in costume. My homemade chocolate chip cookies made a better hit than my individual chocolate bars -- in fact a 7-year-old girl waved the chocolate away and told me she was "pacing" herself for trick-or-treating later that day! She then proceeded to rearrange my Halloweend doo-dads on the table, but that's another story!

Due to lack of time, planning, and energy, I'd foregone the gross touchy/;feeling bag. Nobody was worse for wear on that one! All in all, it just goes to show: We can't orchestrate every moment in life. Sometimes we just have to sit back and let life unfold How was your Halloween??

The Flash Fiction Offensive: Updates and Projects

2009-09-14T07:04:00.000-07:00

The Flash Fiction Offensive: Updates and Projects

Interviewing Your Characters

2009-09-13T19:35:00.000-07:00

Yesterday, I did a workshop at the Schaumburg Public Library entitled Interviewing Your Characters. Participants molded a protagonist -- that person being me since nobody else wanted to sit in the role-playing chair -- by brainstorming answers to my "characteristics of a protaganist" questionaire. My husband got to the event just in time to play antagonist. Since he's not the most game-loving individual, he really leaped out of his comfort zone to sit in the role-playing chair.

The protagonist turns out to be a nursing home volunteer whose grandmother, a former arts & crafts volunteer at that same location, was knocked off by either an employee or a relative of a nursing home resident. Our volunteer asks too many questions of the residents, who wind up complaining that she's being too intrusive. This results in a confrontation between the program supervisor and the volunteer.

The antagonist is a married man whom our volunteer is dating. The arrogant SOB has something to do with the deaths of the volunteer's grandmother, as well as several other residents, but we couldn't explore that relationship in a fifty-minute time frame.

It was lots of fun. Maybe you can attend one of my workshops next time!

Jennie Spallone,
author of
Deadly Choices
www.jenniespallone.com

The Most Wonderful Birthday Weekend

2009-09-06T20:22:00.001-07:00

Had such a great time for my birthday, which theoretically isn't until tomorrow. My husband took me to Pheasant Run Resort, wehre we ushed for Married Alive! As I've mentioned a thousand times before, get hooked up with the Saints if you love seeing plays!

Anyway, we started off the evening by eating at a fabulous chinese restaurant on North Avenue just east of downtown St. Charles. It was right next to Dominicks. Sorry, I don't recall the restaurant name, but if you really need to know, just contact me.

After dinner and the play, we went dancing at the bar next to the gift shop at the Resort. Okay, so I'm lousy at remembering names. The band was amazing; they played everything from R & B to old school rock.

Today we relaxed by the outside pool, then drove into downtown St. Charles and went for a long walk along the river. Beautiful big park there! Have a good labor Day weekend.

Review of Unglorious Bastards

2009-09-03T20:57:00.000-07:00

Tonight my whole family went to see Unglorious Bastards at the movies. I was scared it was going to be too scary. Instead it was violent. But the plot line was terrific and kept me guessing.
As a mystery author, I kept drawing up different scenarios while I was watching. Fortunately, the writer was so creative in his or her sub-plots, there was never a dull moment. Best of all, my guesses were all wrong. I call that Glorious, Bastards!!

Youngest Kid Starts High School

2009-08-28T07:00:00.000-07:00

I'm depressed. My youngest kid just started high school. He's become so distant lately and I no longer know how to relate to him. Intellectually, I know this is part of the growing up process; growing up is growing away. I also know intellectualy that it's going to take awhile for both of us to land on a soft cushion with a new lining. But right now, in my gut, I feel as if I'm turning summersaults above the clouds with no view of the ocean below. Can anyone identify??

Cabaret Was Amazing!

2009-08-23T20:45:00.001-07:00

Was I wrong about Cabaret! Drury Lane did an amazing job!! Nothing like the movie. Too bad I had two extra tickets that went unused, though! We and our friends started off at Maggianos where we ordered from the Light Fare family style menu. The Linguini with Clam Sauce was delicious.Brushetta (spelling?) was a little heavy for my taste buds. But the salads had just the right amount of spices. A wonderful time!!

Free Tickets to Cabaret!

2009-08-22T10:08:00.000-07:00

I'm a Saint. Not religious or morality-wise, although I do try. We're talking here about The Saints; people who usher for plays, concerts, operas, etc. I pay $45.00 a year to register. That entitles me to usher for as many or few gigs as I desire to see throughout the year. sometimes I get free tickets, which happened for today! Six free tickets to see Cabaret at the Drury Lane in Oak Brook. While Cabaret is not one of my favorite musicals, it will still be fun. Best of all, the price is right! So I'm getting a little group of folks together and heading on out for a good time!
If you're interested in joining the Saints, let me know!

Publishing my First Suspense Novel

2009-08-21T07:06:00.000-07:00

I've written two other suspense novels besides Deadly Choices, but it's been hell getting them published. I think that's because I wrote Deadly before starting my ADHD meds. Thus, my first novel was one mad dash to the finish line in only 211 pages! The premise was simple: A female paramedic kidnaps the baby she just delivered, then gives it to her best friend, a Born-Again Christian foster care mom, to raise as her own. Friendship, trust, betrayal. It was fascinating to explore how easily a person can tiptoe over the line of legality to reach their heart's desire.
Deadly Choices won Third Place for Mystery Fiction at the Police Writers Association Conference (currently the Public Safety Writers Association) in Las Vegas, 2006.

Fatal Reaction and Window of Guilt have been more complicated sells. Although previously represented by a Florida literary agent, I pulled both manuscripts after a handful of months because I felt they needed re-editing. We're talking 300 pages per book, here. Ideas need to be clear, concise, and there needs to be lots of red herrings -- fake leads -- in the plot line progression.

Now I'm ready to start again. Looking for an ambitious agent to get me there. I do lots of my own marketing and speak throughout the country so it shouldn't be a problem. Hopefully! And I am on my ADHD meds now!

Author Jennie's First Blog

2009-08-15T20:39:00.000-07:00

This is my first blog ever. I want to devote it to Julia and Julie. This is the new movie in which Julie, a bored government worker, resolves to teach herself to cook by preparing each of Julia Child's 524 French cooking recipes in just 365 days, then blogging about the experience. Fascinating to contemplate whether this yummy movie will inspire us to toss our frozen pizzas in the trash and begin cooking healthy meals from scratch.

When it comes to this Movie, the word "healthy" is really an oxymoron. "Butter" is the Numero Uno word in this movie, as in "Everything tastes better when it's cooked in butter." That cooking theme doesn't do much for food lovers with clogged arteries or three-hundred pound thighs. But it sure causes one to reflect on how these French dishes would taste with low fat ingredients sauteed in butter-substitute.

I should tell you that before becoming a published suspense author, I was a freelance journalist for newspapers and magazines. I'm used to asking questions. Thus, each of my blogs will pose a question for you to think about or discuss with me or a friend. My first question is: Are you the type of person who would feel comfortable messing with the printed instructions of a recipe in order to change the nutritional value of that recipe? Or maybe you popped open a cookbook, found a tantalizing recipe, but realized that your pantry was missing one or two ingredients. Would you prepare the recipe anyway? Why or why not?