End of the Year 2019

2019 has been a very good year for me. The days have gone by quite swiftly, though, and at my age one hopes they might dally awhile. Alas, Father Time seems to be swift of foot these days. Nevertheless, swift passing or not, the days were good. I have no complaints.

My Good Days As A Writer

Wearing my writer hat, the highlight of the year was being named One of the Top 25 Mystery Writers You Need to be Reading by international bestselling authors Caleb and Linda Pirtle. Being mystery and thriller writers themselves, I’m honored to have made their list.

And the award was in addition to the fabulous reviews that came in all year for my books. The most recent being one for my new novel Death Makes A House Call.

I’ll be honest here: I don’t sell a lot of books. My earnings this year are looking to be less than $300. And there are some days I wonder if it’s worth it. However, it’s satisfying to know that there are people out there who appreciate my work. It does help me to keep going. I’m not writing into the dark. I’m writing for them.

My Good Days As A Reader

This year was a good one for reading. I discovered many new to me authors, both indie and traditionally published. Of course there were many old friends who I met in previous years. All told, I read fiction from 62 different writers.

For those who are into numbers, here’s the breakdown:

Novels/Novellas: 46

Short Story Collections: 4

Short Stories/Novelettes: 45

Non-Fiction: 9 (7 books, 1 essay, 1 True-Crime Story)

The genres my reading tended to focus on were horror and mysteries, but a little bit of everything showed up on the list — including romance. :)

Amongst those 62 writers were old favorites such as Ben Willoughby, RH Hale, Rex Stout, Richard Schwindt, Joe Congel, Andy Graham, and Matthew Cormack.

New to me authors included Brian Fatah Steele, H. Bedford-Jones, Lisette Brodey, Alexander Pain, John F Leonard, Terry Tyler, and KD McNiven.

I don’t particularly like making “Best of” lists. They’re highly subjective, and, for me, only reflect my opinion at the moment — which could very easily change next week.

Nevertheless, I do want to give a special shoutout for new-to-me authors Brian Fatah Steele and John F Leonard. They made a big impression on me with the power and imagination of their writing.

If cosmic horror is your thing, or just plain excellent writing, give these guys a try. Particularly Steele’s Your Arms Around Entropy and other stories, and Leonard’s Congeal.

My Good Days As A Person

2019 was good to me as a person. I’m still taking in air and sustenance. My health is reasonably good. At 67, every day I wake up breathing air instead of dirt is a very good one indeed!

Simple pleasures become a source of immense peace and comfort. Simple things such as a good meal, a cup of hot tea, a good book, a good laugh, playing with the cat, seeing the sunset, and gazing at the moon. These things can enrich your life to no end, and they cost little or nothing.

Marcus Aurelius, the Roman emperor and Stoic philosopher, wrote that “Life is opinion.” In other words, life is what we think it is. And if we choose to think it’s good — it will be.

Good and bad are relative. And because good and bad are relative, they have no absolute meaning. Which in turn means, life simply is. The good and bad of life are in our minds.

Tomorrow begins the new year. May it be a good one for you — and if you think it is, it will be.

Comments are always welcome, and until next time — happy living!

Christmas 2019

Bea asked, “Anything in particular you want for Christmas, Harry?”

“Tina asked me the same thing. I can always use stamps. Otherwise, I’m open. I have you and I’m very satisfied.”

“Thanks, Harry. That means a lot to me.”

“What about you?”

There was a pause, long enough for me to wonder what was going on inside Bea’s head. Finally she said, “Harry, I love you and I’m glad we’re together. You are everything to me. The only thing I want for Christmas is a piece of paper that tells me I’m Mrs. Harry Gill Wright. I want to marry you, Harry. On Christmas Day would be wonderful, but any time will do.”

The above snippet comes from the novelette Bottom Line, which can be found in Trio in Death-Sharp Minor (Justinia Wright Private Investigator Mysteries, Book 2).

It’s all about love. And where would we be without it? Love for our mates. Love for our parents and siblings. Love for our children. Love for our friends. And love for self. We mustn’t forget that. In fact, it all starts there. If we don’t love ourselves, how can we truly love others?

The Christmas story is one of love. And whether or not you believe the story doesn’t matter. Because the story is universal. The story expresses our deepest longings. That this world has meaning and our hope that things will get better until peace ultimately triumphs, along with human dignity.

Harry and Bea are two people with messed up love lives. Each is despairing of ever finding the one to spend their lives with. Then they find each other. Right in the middle of a murder investigation where Bea is a suspect. And their meeting is very nearly love at first sight. 

Perhaps it’s a bit unrealistic to think two people with wrecked marriages and broken love lives can find each other and live happily ever after, but that’s why we read fiction. Isn’t it? Besides, isn’t that the point of the Christmas story? There’s hope for those of us who’ve messed up our lives. There’s always the possibility of a fresh start and to live happily ever after.

This holiday season finds us with wars and rumors of wars. Horrible atrocities being committed in the name of God and everything else people can think of. 

Nothing is safe. Disney Plus was hacked and info from many, many accounts was stolen. Russian hackers can infiltrate a computer system in 18 minutes, the North Koreans in 2 1/2 hours, and the Chinese in 4 hours. That, my friends, is scary stuff.

Dissatisfaction with the 2016 US presidential election, on who won and who lost, is still in the news. In all of my 67 years, I’ve never seen the like. Which tells me people are growing more and more intolerant and abusive.

And in spite of the fact we are in very good economic times, with very low unemployment and a high GDP growth rate — there is fear and uncertainty everywhere. 

However, the Christmas story tells us there is a very real possibility for there to be peace on earth to people of goodwill. The story tells us there is hope all of our concerns and fears will vanish in a new age that will dawn bright and glorious.

The Christmas story is at its very base a story about how we see ourselves. The dreams we dream, and the aspirations we hold out for ourselves.

We have a choice: we can see the glass half empty or half full. Hope is what helps us see it as half full.

Marcus Aurelius, the Roman emperor and Stoic philosopher, wrote: Life is opinion. Or in other words, life is what you make it to be. If we all practiced the Golden Rule; if we all treated our neighbors as we ourselves want them to treat us — then there truly would be peace on earth. That’s something to think about. Maybe that’s how we need to live in 2020.

Thank you for being with me this past year on my writing journey and letting me share a little of my life and interests with you.

May your holiday season be filled with joy and may you find peace, prosperity, and tranquility in the new year.

Comments are always welcome! And until next time, may peace and joy fill your days!

The World of Justinia Wright — Part 3

Why do we read fiction? Before we answer that question, let’s back up a bit. Let’s go deep into our past. Let’s journey back 300,000 years.

There we find a group of early homo sapiens sitting around the campfire, having just eaten their fill of ancient gazelle, with perhaps some snake on the side, and what are they doing aside from digesting supper? My money is on them telling stories. Probably exciting stories of the hunt, or of the time they had to chase off another group of hominids that were trying to steal the lush hunting ground.

I’m also willing to wager there was a lot of acting that accompanied these stories. And what purpose did the stories serve? Why to entertain, of course. They also provided a vicarious experience for the non-hunters, and formed part of the group culture.

So back to our initial question. Why do we read fiction? We do so for the same reasons our early ancestors told stories: entertainment, vicarious experiences, and to celebrate our culture.

Very soon I’ll be publishing Book 7 in the Justinia Wright Private Investigator Mystery series: Death Makes a House Call.

My purpose in telling you the latest adventure of Tina and Harry is primarily to entertain you. If you have a vicarious experience along the way and celebrate American culture as found in the Land of 10,000 Lakes — so much the better.

In fact, the above is my purpose in all of the Justinia Wright books and stories. You can find more about them here.

Readers do in fact find the Justinia Wright series highly entertaining, with plenty of vicarious experiences to boot! And that makes me very happy. Because at the heart of the matter, fictioneers are entertainers.

Comments are always welcome! And until next time, happy reading!

The World of Justinia Wright — Part 2

Raymond Chandler, the creator of Philip Marlowe, perhaps the king of the hardboiled PIs, was not interested overly much in plot.

For Chandler, atmosphere and characterization were more important than the plot of the story. Which may be why we remember Marlowe more than we remember Chandler himself.

As a reader, atmosphere and characterization have always been of greater interest to me than the plot of a story. Mostly, I suppose, because I find the entertainment value of a story in the characters and the atmosphere.

As a reader of whodunits, I never read them to solve the puzzle. I read them for the atmosphere and the interaction of the characters with each other. I suppose I’ve been spoiled by Sherlock Holmes and Nero Wolfe.

Plot is simple. William Wallace Cook defined plot as

Purpose, expressed or implied, opposing Obstacle, expressed or implied, yields Conflict.

All plots are nothing more than stories of conflict. No conflict, no story.

But what makes the story, the conflict, of interest to the reader is what the writer does with it. That is, how does the writer make it interesting to the reader? How does he get the reader interested in the conflict? The writer does that through atmosphere and interesting (to the reader) characters.

For my Justinia Wright novels, when I read comments such as

The action builds slowly, relying more on relationship and character development rather than on violent, gruesome murders. … Justinia (Tina) and Harry are well thought out, interesting characters that are complemented by an equally interesting supporting cast.

And

I don’t read a lot of mysteries, but when I do, I appreciate interesting characters and atmosphere. Festival of Death has both…

And

…characters are well-developed and intriguing…

I know I have succeeded in producing a novel that is more than plot, more than a mere portrayal of a conflict, but rather a novel that is alive with people who have captured the reader’s attention, interest, and perhaps his or her heart.

The new Justinia Wright novel, Death Makes a House Call, is coming soon to a virtual bookstore near you.

The story is one of death, this is a murder mystery, after all, and justice. A tale in which the one who defies human decency is apprehended and made to pay for the crime.

However, Death Makes a House Call is first and foremost a story about people: a story of life, love, and devotion.

Stay tuned! Death Makes a House Call is coming and will be here soon!

The World of Justinia Wright

About a month ago, I wrote a post announcing I’d been given an award by international bestselling authors Caleb and Linda Pirtle. You can read that post here. I’m still excited at being named One of the Top 25 Mystery Writers You Need to be Reading.

There are currently 7 books in the Justinia Wright Private Investigator Mystery Series. Vampire House and Other Early Cases of Justinia Wright, PI, which I’ve numbered Book 0, doesn’t get included on the Amazon series page due to Amazon’s quirky rules.

I’m in the middle of doing line editing and proofreading on Book 7 (actually the 8th book in the series) and hope to publish it by Christmas. More on this book in a future post!

So what is it about the Justinia Wright Private Investigator Mystery Series that makes it worth reading? I thought I’d let some of the reviewers tell you what makes the series so fun to read (and for me, to write!).

Richard Schwindt, who has an excellent amateur sleuth trilogy — The Death in Sioux Lookout Trilogy — and an equally excellent occult detective trilogy — Tony Price: Confidential — wrote this about the world of Tina and Harry Wright:

Some fictional universes are just places you want to be, and I have been so moved by the world CW Hawes has created for private detective Justinia Wright and her brother Harry. Although Hawes has a demonstrated penchant for the scary and grotesque, and can frequently be found (at least in his fiction) underground, he has shown a remarkably light and airy touch in Trio in Death-Sharp Minor. Tina and Harry’s world comes complete with music, art, excellent food and drink. I would drop by their house any time, if only for a glass of Madeira. The three mysteries are deftly written and include an adorable and sexy love affair between Harry and Bea, one of the bereaved from the first story. If you want to check out a good cozy mystery, without the annoyingly twee failings of the genre, you could do much worse than this series. Highly recommended for mystery lovers and anyone looking for an escape with a light touch.

And that is exactly how I feel when I write these mysteries: Tina and Harry’s world is where I want to be.

Another mystery writer, Joe Congel, who writes the superb Tony Razzolito PI Mysteries, wrote this about Tina and Harry:

[But Jesus Never Wept] is the third book in the Justinia Wright Private Investigator series, and it is a top-notch addition to a top-notch series, written by a top-notch author. If you've been following the brother/sister PI team, you already know this series is rich in storyline and character development. If you are discovering the Wrights for the first time in this book, you will not be disappointed. However, treat yourself, and go back and read the first two books in this wonderful series.

In this installment, the author mixes religion, the Japanese mob, and high-end prostitution, and wraps it all up in a very engaging murder mystery. But what truly drives this story is the relationship between the main characters - Justinia, Harry, Bea, and Cal. The subplot of their lives is intertwined masterfully with the main plotline of the book, which is the mystery that needs to be solved. And although the idea of an intriguing mystery may have brought you here, the well thought-out, fun, realistic, characters are what will bring you back for more. A great murder mystery will make a great book, but a deeply developed cast of reoccurring characters is what makes a great series... and this is a great series.

I loved the first two books, and this one is no different. It's why I bought the whole series. I look forward to seeing what the Wright's get themselves into between the pages of the next book. But don't take my word for it, try them for yourself - just don't be surprised if you become addicted.

For me, the story is all about the characters. The plot, or storyline, is simply the characters doing their thing in a particular situation.

I find it very satisfying when my fellow mystery writers have such a glowing opinion of Tina and Harry. They are telling me I have accomplished what I set out to do: to create a world that is as cozy and enjoyable as the one Rex Stout created with Nero Wolfe and Archie Goodwin.

I love Tina and Harry. They were my first children, as it were. In fact, they are older than my daughter! I love the world that Tina and Harry inhabit: a Minneapolis that is akin to the real city, and yet is its own world.

If you desire to travel anywhere in the world right from the comfort of your favorite chair, if you want to entertain yourself at your own pace, if you want to put your worries and problems on a shelf for awhile and lose yourself in someone else’s world — then I encourage you to explore the world of Tina and Harry Wright. It’s a world filled with comfort, good food, and lots of adventure. Live a little from the comfort of your favorite chair, at your own pace.