Book Review - The Harry Houdini Mysteries

Harry Houdini, well-known as an escape artist, becomes for Author Daniel Stashower the subject of mystery in his The Harry Houdini Mysteries published in paperback by Titan Books. The novel concerned with here is subtitled The Floating Lady Murder.

The reader never gets into the mind of Harry, as the narrator is his brother, Dash Hardeen, who also serves as Harry's manager and the scene opens with the-not-yet-famous Houdini trying to stake out a career as a performer.

The Floating Lady is a levitation illusion or trick that had already killed one woman, but had become an obsession for magician Harry Kellar. Houdini is hired by Kellar and works on finding the solution to performing "The Floating Lady."

There is an economy in telling the story while at the same time giving a full glimpse into Houdini's life and the era Houdini lived in.

The suspects are identified early, but the thought process to the reveal of the killer and the driving motive(s) leaves the reader out of the mix. Even when the reader is in the mind of Dash Hardeen and he has a revelation, the reader is not told of the truth flash. Not giving the reader clues to solve the murder is a major downer to the whodunit.

Dropping more earlier clues would definitely enhance the book's strength of description and varied pace of storytelling.

Writing Contests: "A" or "E"

In specific reading genres writing contests abound. For the budding author the question may boil down to whether or not entering a specific contest is worthwhile or desireable. For this post that underlies the title: Writing Contests: "A" or "E," which has nothing to do with a grading system.

The "A" and "E" are vowel choices to go with the three consonants "P R _ Y."

Thus, with regard to writing contests are you faced with the prospect of  wanting or having to "pray" for a winning entry, or are you the "prey" for the contest's sponsors?

It's no doubt that contests try to sugar coat the benefits of entering. It's almost like the hoopla that surrounds million dollar giveaways. While the giveaways say you don't have to order to be a winner, that may be true for the initial contest, but, if you order, don't you keep receiving entries for future contests that a non-ordering person might not receive.

There are many writing contests. Romance Writers of America (RWA) sponsor two well-publicized contests, one for published works and the second for unpublished manuscripts. Mystery Writers of America sponsor awards that are primarily focused on already published works.  Literary magazines such as Nimrod and crazyhorse (Lower case is title of publication.) award prizes to unpublished short fiction. The difference the latter two have is that payment of the entry fee gives the entrant copies of the respective literary publications, at least for a year.

Paying a contest entry fee that comes with a subscription does seem more than fair. It provides the entrant with knowledge of and the ability to read and dissect the winning entries. And, intellectually compare the winners with one's personal entry without potential embarrassment.

Entering an unpublished manuscript to other venues brings forth other issues. If you've written a romance novel and don't wish to enter the national RWA contest because you believe it is not so much an organization as it is a company trying to make a profit, there are multiple romance chapters within the United States that run annual contests to make money. Yes, they may not say so explicitly, but ask the RWA whether or not they encourage chapters to run contests to support themselves and their websites and keep member dues low. In a moment of candor, the truth will come out. There is no doubt the RWA encourages chapters to run contests for entries are often given a discount for being an RWA member and some chapters mandate RWA membership for entries to be acceptable. Thus, the RWA has its own self-interest at heart.

But, whether or not that is so, what impact does this all have on the entrant deciding whether or not to enter an unpublished manuscript? The following could apply to any organization wishing to charge entry fees for unpublished manuscripts.

The chapters, populated by unpaid volunteers deserving credit for following their passion, run and obtain the judges for the unpublished manuscripts. The judges, even in a blind contest, may or may not be industry qualified. If you read the fine print, the contests say that the judges are "trained" and/or "published." Being either is not the sine qua non for possessing the requisite innate quality or acquired qualifications to judge writing or storytelling. From personal experience, after receiving the critique of judges the suggestions were implemented and the stories submitted the next year with the judge's changes. The score on one was lower and the comment was made that the writer seemed to have English as a second language. The other scores were no higher and the writing criticized for craftsmanship that had passed mustard the prior year. I took advantage of sending word of this to the judges (unidentified to me) via the contest coordinator. Guess what happened the next year?

From another contest I got scribbled comments from a judge willing to at least be honest when he or she said that he or she didn't like to read the category of the entry then being called upon to judge. Wow, you might say. If your first thought is how does this judge know what is of quality in this genre if they don't read it, welcome to the club that now has at least two members.

The preceding comment brings to light what should be obvious. The judges, being within the same chapter as the contest, know each other and are, more than likely, in the same critique groups. Even without names on the manuscripts, surely the judges can determine who wrote what.

Do entrants know these internal chapter dynamics?  Of course, not. That's information not provided outside the contest's inner circle.  Also secret is the number of entries. Is one given the criteria for judge selection. Most likely, not. Are you given information as to what book the judge authored? Likely, not. In some contests you are given a scorecard. If you check the scorecard criteria or divisions, you'll find they are very subjective. As in writing and an individual's reading preference, there's no dispute in this quarter that subjectivity is always present.

The bottom line may be whether or not winning a specific contest leads to greater glory. If the recent news is to be believed, the answer is no. New York publishers look for ways to make money (And, isn't that the same goal as the manuscript contests?) and they recently have been seeking out those
authors who've either gathered thousands of readers or sold their manuscripts by offering them online or through e-books channels.

Yes, this new technology seems to be the way of the future. As each day goes by, the glitter of boosting one to success via a writing contest seems to pale. You may disagree and find that entering a contest is a reasonable substitute for not having to or being able to adhere to your own writing deadline or going out and creating your own critique group. No one can tell you what value there is in your money. That's right and fair. Being in a writing contest winner's circle can be a great rush and this writer has had first hand experience.

Poetry Within Your Novel

There's a not so subtle way for an author to impart a theme to readers of his or her fiction novel. That's to have one of the character's espouse it in poetry. Yeah, right, you say. Control or tamp down your disbelief for one moment. I will try to direct you to the promised land if you're willing to read on. Isn't inviting guilt wonderful?

Okay, a disclaimer to keep the fiction police happy, not every character can be comfortable with or be in contact with poetry. Yet, perhaps the character is a frustrated poet or had to write a poem in one of his or her high school or college classes. Feasible, you bet. If so, (and I bless my hardworking English teacher daily) you can incorporate the created poem into your story.

What if your character didn't attend the conventional school? Then there are several avenues in widely diverse genres to have the thematic poem disclosed to your fiction readers.

Captain Kirk on Star Trek, or your equivalent, can uncover it in a galactic cave. Maybe it just shows up as a hologram from the past. Perhaps it's a clue to a distant surviving culture that commands billions of gallons of fracking natural gas and is ready to crash the world's economy or, if you understand the poem's meaning, fill your vehicle's, and no one else's, gas tank cheap. If that's not compelling, then it could be part of a regular, old-fashioned mystery. Stranger things happen.

Your fictional romantic time traveler can find it tucked in an old trunk Shakespeare discarded on the way to Stratford-on-Avon. If you have a midsummer's night's dream not an accident, there can be a Puck you can count on. Your poem's discovery can be the "to be" of the be or not to be uttered by your Hamlet wannabe.

If your character is a historic saint, say, take mine, he lived as a Gaelic monk in the sixth century.  No, he wasn't St. Patrick who lived a century earlier. Who knows how much poetry my historic saint buried in the Irish caves escaping the Huns? Sorry, they were later and probably on a different continent. Maybe it was Finn McCool who performed the historic deed to save the magic poetic scroll my saint scribbled on whatever fast food scraps of paper then existed? I love that legendary McCool guy. He's such a 21st Century Disney character. Whoops, Disney hasn't put him on celluloid yet next to that famous Tinkerbelle. But okay, thinking harder, it was the thugs from Denmark who threatened my saint. Oh, those Danes, still around centuries later to cause Will Shakespeare dramatic trouble.

If we consider more modern times, didn't Agatha Christie conjure up mystical powers in several of her fictional stories. Perhaps a pale horse chased by Miss Marple? Or didn't Herucle Periot brave the Egyptian sun to find a poem in the tombs, or on an ancient scroll that would serve your purpose? You do the research. I'm just generating ideas.

If there's no historical villain or convenient sleuth, create your own. Remember, you're writing fiction.

Just ponder what the following poem means or says to you or us as readers. It's taken from Chapter Thirty-Four of my novel, A Body To Bones, First Skeleton Series Mystery, said to be written by a small town newspaper publisher. That he might do that would make sense, right? If I'm not the National Poet so be it, I'm, as you will be, hiding behind a created character. The question is does it impart meaning that is understood by the reader, if not critically acclaimed?

Lies will not support the past

False fronts created will not last.

In this world of gloom and woe

In wisdom, faith, and trust we grow.

For all that we carry in our heart

Or that our words will impart,

Memories in our hearts still glow

Showing us paths on which to go.

 

And so, what does that tell us as the readers?

 

Who is lying? What false fronts are created? Does it matter as long as we know it's bad? Perhaps the prior narrative tells us or perhaps we must look at our own past?  Even in a world of gloom, isn't there certain existing values we can count upon to exhibit hope? I'd say yes.

 

If there are trials or discouragements that linger in our hearts, doesn't the heart and the human condition have past glories that will show us the way? Shouldn't we be uplifted in the future that awaits? I'd say, amen.

 

Even if you don't have an answer, doesn't the poetry in fiction add another dimension that no other tool can?  Obviously you can debate me or others. But try it once. If your fiction is enhanced, you get the reward. It couldn't be any sweeter than that.

 



Beware. It's Personal

Lest I repeat myself too much, beware, this post is personal.

With a journalistic background, I've been taught to lead with the most important fact. For this post I've disregarded the principle since this isn't a journalistic post.

When I conceived how I would style and present this, my, blog, I decided to focus on helping other writers with craftsmanship articles, and as the desire struck, to add a bit of whimsy. Well, this post is neither.

What always impressed and irritated me about professional journalism was the ever present deadline. I vividly recall one late night lounging in the press room of a major hotel while the United States presidential candidate, in a suite upstairs, did whatever candidates do awaiting the decision of the voters. I was relaxing in the early morning hours relishing that I had stepped on the toes of a national magazine reporter and elbowed a Time photographer to get the photo of the candidate that I still cherish. On my agenda in eight hours was a two minute live radio report and attending any live press conference called if the candidate conceded or claimed victory.

I shared the company of a journalist from Australia, reporting for a group of British publications. After weeks on the campaign trail he was longing for the trip home. Slumped in his chair, he almost, on multiple occasions, fell to the floor, claimed by long days and short nights. His phone rang. It was his editor calling from a different time zone asking for 500 words, deadline in thirty minutes.

All I can say is that I've never read such concise, dramatic, to-the-point, cliche-free prose written in ten minutes from the grave of pure exhaustion. I'm sure I wouldn't have to this day remembered the incident if it hadn't been an honest-to-goodness professional who'd taught me an impromptu lesson at the foot of "show don't tell."

Circumstances as well as individuals can create the same feeling, only it may take longer.

Years ago I wrote the official United States released stories on the truce talks at Panmunjom, Korea. And it's been like days of old as North Korea has jumped to the world news stage. Only once did I have to fight the censors to use the words I had written. On that day I was successful. While I was in attendance at the truce talk site, halfway inside the 3-mile demilitarized zone, I had to have my story ready to dictate by telephone to Seoul when arriving at the military base just outside the DMZ. It was the first opportunity to make a telephone call. If it hadn't been for the experience of knowing reporters like those met during U.S. presidential campaigns, I wouldn't have been able to complete the tasks for the months that I did, nor personally complete the early morning briefing for the Secretary of the Army who visited during my deployment.

So what triggered these memories? While I wouldn't give up one minute of my journalistic life, I today discovered a reader review of my novel "The Bones Dance Foxtrot, Second Skeleton Series Mystery" on Amazon.com. It said: "I liked it but not as well as the first one. (That's "A Body To Bones, First Skeleton Series Mystery.") We've met the author so I started reading his books, and I enjoy them. I never know the ending and that's something I like."

I must confess I didn't recognize the name of the reviewer. Am I glad he purchased and read my novels, was willing to express an opinion, and took the time to write an online review, obviously yes, yes, yes. In fact, more than glad, ecstatic would be a better word.

But it also triggered in me the thought that an author never knows if or how he or she will affect a reader or a potential reader. You go to book readings. I have one scheduled here April 18 in Rock Falls, IL. You go to community events, you support charities, you speak to people in person, if you can. It's an axiom that no one can like or dislike a novel until it's read. Getting the read is the challenge. Can there be an analogy between an author "pressing-the-flesh" and a politician? Yes.

There is a kinetic energy that bills. Yes, please come back to this blog to read ideas on how you can craft better prose, but don't forget to get out there into the community. I'm not saying it will be easy, but the rewards will buoy your heart and brighten your smile. And, the rewards come from quarters you won't imagine and at times you won't fathom.

Isn't that why you're an author, to uplift people? To give readers an enjoyable experience?

Now, I ask that you go to my previous blog post and click on the link to read a sample of my e-book Abbey Burning Love.

Abbey Burning Love - Sample Read

Read a sample of Author Donan Berg's e-book Abbey Burning Love.

www.barnesandnoble.com/sample/read/2940012418586

Order at www.dotdonbooks.com Full-length novel 99 cents.

What's Your Story Premise?

Every writer has an idea on where his or her story is going to take them, or should. The difficulty encountered is with the precision of the thought. One suggested exercise to distill, or to separate the wheat from the chaff (to use an old cliché), is to create a premise.

What is that you ask? It's a simple one sentence statement of the story. The premise contains the character, plot, and a sense of the outcome. A tough task to create? Definitely yes. But when completed your personal satisfaction will be higher and your story will be better off for it.

Hollywood is well-known for wanting to have "high-concept" stories. To the investors that is a short statement that connects with the audience and brings to their ears the sound of box office cash registers ringing-Caching, Caching.

To complete your premise start by brainstorming. Don't reject any idea. Keep scribbling or striking that keyboard in front of your fingers.

For example:

     Long lost dinosaurs and humans fight for survival and island dominance.

     Children survivors after a world disaster are forced to fight on TV by evil dictators.

     Couple nurtured by a child they'd abandoned two decades earlier find love.

     A male actor dresses as a woman to find employment and learns he's been
     treating women badly for years.

Look at your unique life and the passions that motivate or mean the most to you. Keep on writing.

After the list grows you should begin to see a pattern. The examples above are not sufficient to
create the pattern that should emerge with your dedication to the exercise.

Remember, you are not sharing this with anyone unless that is your wish. Don't stop at the first
hint of having nothing more to bring forth from your brain. Put the list away. Dedicate more than
minutes or hours to the task.

Later, you must evaluate whether or not you can craft your most promising premise into the outline
of a story and decide upon the shape it may take, i.e., myth, nonfiction, children's story, mystery, romance, or historical.

If you already have a story written, there is no reason you can't draft a one sentence premise. Doing the exercise in reverse will most likely strengthen your existing story, make it sharper, give strength to that sagging middle. Your completed premise also makes a nice fit with that query letter you must write to attract an agent or publisher.

For the best premise possible, get ready, go.


Author Donan Berg has written four mystery novels. His full-length e-book Abbey Burning Love is on sale for 99 cents. Visit www.dotdonbooks.com .

Writing With Unity and Flow

A reader doesn’t create or follow just any path in your writing, except for maybe a path of disbelief. The reader sprints, trudges, or aimlessly wanders along the journey created by you as a good writer.  If the job’s done well, the reader doesn’t get lost. That includes fiction where a major purpose of the writer’s task is to build suspense, throw in a red herring, or tilt the reader’s sense of balance.

Prose that is loose and unstructured loses the reader while also indicating that the writer lacks a coherent idea of where he or she is headed.

Two writing concepts, never quite like identical twins, worthy of consideration are “unity” and “flow.”

“Unity” is a coherent journey that more likely than not takes the reader back to the beginning in either time, space, thought, or location. “Flow” is pacing and markers along the reader’s journey that keeps he or she moving forward to the next page, the newest thought built on or created out of a previous thought, or the revelation of an underlying theme.

While Tarzan swung from vine to vine, he had to keep looking forward to determine if the next jungle tree was strong enough to hold his weight and provided a new vine able to swing in the direction he wished to travel. Each tree or vine could be a different native species. It didn’t matter. Writing instructors often use the analogy of a flagstone path. Each stone is of different dimension and/or shape, yet together they “flow” in a direction that can be discerned and followed.

“Unity” is to make each tree or stone suggestive of the journey and provide for its accomplishment. Linkage is how you, as the writer, arrange and order the individual pieces. You as writer keep adding new things: Tarzan meets Jane. Tarzan reaches for a coconut. Tarzan avoids the swipe of a lion’s paw. You’re building Tarzan’s life. Giving the reader perspective and insight into Tarzan’s existence.

While Tarzan grows wiser, he ages. The sun dips below the horizon and dawn breaks to provide transition between days. A scrape on Tarzan’s leg first bleeds, the blood coagulates into a clot followed by a covering, protective scab, and then the scab dries up and disappears in the healing process. Life events are given and blended together with the transition of a healing wound.

But be on guard for tried-and-true words and phrases that may be convenient, but should be avoided.  Example:  “After having …” Having means the action has already taken place. The writer has indicated he or she is writing about the past. You would not say” “After having looked around the forest, Tarzan eyed a cypress.” Redundancy abounds. Use either “after” or “having.” “After looking around the forest, Tarzan eyed a cypress.” Or, “Having looked around the forest, Tarzan eyed a cypress.”

The reader takes in that Tarzan swings from a cypress to an oak and then to a palm tree. He finds the coconuts ripe, unlike two months previous. Thus, a single action ties together Tarzan’s journey and experience. There is both flow and unity. The logic is implicit and the writer keeps the reader on the single journey.

 

Step back from your writing and check it for unity and flow. Give yourself a mental pat on the back for doing a good job.

 

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Author Donan Berg's e-book "Abbey Burning Love" is now 99 cents. Visit www.dotdonbooks.com to learn more and order. He is author of three other novels in print and e-book formats.