Month: January 2023

A Resolution to Write

Tucked away on my list of new year’s resolutions in 2009 was a simple commitment: start writing. It landed somewhere between lose ten pounds and stop chewing nicotine gum. It would reappear on my lists for another six years before I did anything about it.

I had intended to be a writer all along, but life doesn’t always go according to plan. I had a busy career, a failed marriage, and a son to raise by the time I made that commitment to write again. Perhaps you can relate.

Starting took some effort. It had been decades since studying literature in school, and the writing I did for my day job didn’t really count. I started with a few online classes, trying both fiction and non-fiction to see what held my interest.

When I had the opportunity to take a workshop with one of my favorite authors, I jumped at the chance. It was part of Woodstock Bookfest, an annual three-day event in upstate New York. The workshop was incredibly helpful, and so were the many panels I attended.

At one of those panels, an author spoke about her debut mystery novel and all the support she received from an organization called Sisters in Crime. I had always been a fan of mysteries; I read two or three books in that genre every week. But writing a mystery? I wasn’t sure about that. Although a mystery did seem right for a character who’d been haunting my thoughts for a while. To my surprise, a story began unveiling itself that evening.

Back home in northern Kentucky, I looked up Sisters in Crime, joined, and connected to the chapter closest to me. It’s ironic that a book festival in the Catskills led me to the Derby Rotten Scoundrels in Louisville, Kentucky, but life is like that. This year, my resolution is to finish my first draft of that story. I still haven’t lost the ten pounds or given up nicotine gum, but thanks to my Louisville Sisters in Crime, I’m damn close to writing the last chapter.

Comma Long With Me

Few elements of punctuation are as daunting as the comma. When do I use it? Where do I put it? There are rules, and sometimes controversy (Oxford commas come to mind).

Reference this article on  8 basic uses of commas:  Commas (Eight Basic Uses)

This month, we will focus on independent clauses.

An independent clause is also called the main clause. It expresses a complete thought, and it can stand alone as a sentence. Its counterpart is a dependent clause, which cannot stand alone. Dependent and independent clauses can combine to make different types of sentences.

A clause is a phrase that contains a subject and a verb or verb phrase

Every complete sentence has an independent clause, but not every sentence contains a dependent clause.

reference: Independent Clause: What It Is Explained with Examples

 

Independent Clause plus a Dependent Clause:

Boomer, a cat who started life in the park, enjoys playing in my backyard.

The independent clause in this sentence is:

Boomer enjoys playing in my backyard.

This is a complete thought, with a subject (Boomer), a verb (enjoys), and an object phrase (in my backyard). As an independent clause, the above statement does not require a comma.

The following clause is dependent, because it cannot stand alone:

a cat who started life in the park

The dependent clause is almost a parenthetical description, used to provide a little ‘background’ info on Boomer, but not essential to the main clause. When you add the two clauses togther, you need to separate them with a comma (in this case, two commas, because the dependent clause is dropped into the middle of the independent clause:

Boomer, a cat who started life in the park, enjoys playing in my backyard.

Two Independent Clauses in one Sentence:

We can connect two independent clauses in a few different ways. The first method is to use a coordinating conjunction.

There are seven coordinating conjunctions in English: for, and, nor, but, or, yet, so. You can remember these with the acronym FANBOYS.

Example:

The following two clauses are independent because they can each stand alone as a complete thought:

My dog is an Australian shepherd.

I don’t have any sheep for him to herd.

When combined, they need a comma and a conjunction (but) to connect them.

My dog is an Australian shepherd, but I don’t have any sheep for him to herd.

 

You don’t have to use a coordinating conjunction to connect independent clauses. You can also use certain punctuation marks. These are semicolons, em dashes, and colons.

When you use a semicolon, you do not include a coordinating conjunction. You can use a transitional word or phrase after the semicolon, like “however” or “as a result.” These are called independent markers.

Examples:

I used to live in Montreal; however, I am not fluent in French.

We discovered the thief—it was my next-door neighbor!

You don’t usually see colons separating independent clauses. The independent clauses must be closely related to use a colon. The emphasis should also be on the second clause.

  • The results of the study surprised us: the animals responded positively to the visual stimuli.

reference: Independent Clause: What It Is Explained with Examples

I hope you have enjoyed my TED talk!

Member News – January 2023

Lynn Slaughter

Lynn Slaughter and Ellen Birkett Morris

Join our former DRS President, Lynn Slaughter, for her book signing and talk at Joseph Beth Booksellers in Lexington. Lynn will be there with award-winning author of LOST GIRLS, Ellen Birkett Morris

Lynn’s most recent novel, Deadly Setup, was released in 2022.

When: Saturday, January 28th at 2 PM

Where:  Joseph Beth Booksellers in Lexington

Other news:
I was featured on Sarahlyn Bruck’s “Author Spotlight” talking about DEADLY SETUP:  : https://sarahlynbruck.com/blog-slaughter. 
I did a guest blog/giveaway for CrimeCafe: : https://www.debbimack.com/blog/crime-cafe/guest-post-and-book-giveaway-by-lynn-slaughter/ , as well as a podcast interview which will go live January 8th.
I’m also a guest author on George Cramer’s blog on January 12.

Leanne Edelen

Leanne’s short story, Playing Possum, was accepted by Mystery and Horror, INC for an anthology to come out later this year!

Note:  Mystery and Horror published the DRS anthology Mystery With a Splash of Bourbon in 2020.

 

 

 

 

 

Patience Martin

The latest episode of Cape Cod Radio Mystery Theater has been released, and our resident actress, Patience Martin, is a featured player.
The Case of the Sleeping Policeman is filled with drama and suspense – and lots of struggling and screaming on my part.  — Patience Martin
Here’s purchase and download information:

Linda Rees

Magnolia Blossoms, Reggie Chronicles 3 and Heart of the Matter, Reggie Chronicles 4 by Lynda Rees and audio by Sally Barron just came out in audiobook format and should soon be picked up by all audiobook retailers.

Linda is teaching a class on  Organization and Productivity (January 28) for Contemporary Romance Writers later this month. More information here: January 2023 CRW Workshops

 

Musings From Munsch – Remembering Agatha Christie

January 12th marks the forty-seventh anniversary of the passing of Agatha Christie. She was 86 years old. Only the Bible and the Bard outsell her books. No wonder she is the G.O.A.T. (Greatest of all times) in the mystery writers’ realm.

 

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Agatha_Christie

Christie created two of the most enduring sleuths: Hercule Poirot, he of the little gray cells, and Miss Jane Marple, she of the knitting needles and quiet observations. To say that Christie’s books, especially the Poirot or Marple books, have provided film makers with a plethora of stories is quite the understatement. The number of adaptations for both the silver screen and the little box is amazing, and providing work for so many actors portraying the two sleuths.

The American public met Christie in 1920 with the publication of THE MYSTERIOUS AFFAIR AT STYLES. Monsieur Poirot, meet your adoring public.

Her last book, SLEEPING MURDER, was published in 1976, but written in the 1940’s. This was Jane Marple’s last case.

Overall, Christie wrote seventy-four novels, plus many short story collections. She penned sixteen plays. The most famous, THE MOUSETRAP, opened in London in 1952, and ran continuously until the pandemic of 2020 closed all the theatres. There is a report that the production is finally coming to Broadway in 2023, though no specific details are available.

Not only did she pen mysteries, but her life also provided one: the missing eleven days in 1926. Books and movies have taken over the speculation of this ‘hidden time’ in her life.

A fairly recent publication, THE SCIENCE OF MURDER, The forensics of Agatha Christie, by Carla Valentine, examines how the Dame and her thinking/methods predate the modern science of forensics. The chapters cover the various aspects of the science as we know it today, from fingerprints to toxicology. If you are an aficionado of Christie, this book is a nice addition to your library.

I leave you with some quotations, either from her works or in her own words:

“Every murderer is probably someone’s best friend.”

“I specialize in murders of quiet, domestic interest.”

“The best time to plan a book is while you’re doing the dishes.”

And finally, worthy of contemplation,

“Very few of us are what we seem.”

Remembering Debi Huff

It has been a year since we lost our dear friend, Debi Huff. She continues to be missed. Let’s take a minute and remember her smile and her wit.

 

Happy New Year – 2023!

Happy New Year from your 2023 board. We hope this will be an exciting year for all of you with new works-in-progress or finding a home for those completed works.

A few notable changes coming with the new year:

 First, as a result of the survey sent out, we will be changing the starting time of our meetings to 11 a.m. with the program starting at noon. Please note: our January meeting will be at the old time of noon with the program at 1 PM. This was set with the speaker before we changed the time of our meetings.

Second, while we will continue to work on the craft of writing, our format will change. Our sessions will be more interactive. All of you will be contributing as we discuss various topics or dissect various aspects of the craft.

For example, in January, we are going to start at the very beginning, which Julie Andrews in THE SOUND OF MUSIC tells us, is a very good place to start. We are going to discuss Where do you get your ideas? Our published authors will speak to the origin of their stories. Those of you who are still working on a story can tell us where your idea came from. Those searching for ideas can ask questions or relate your ideas for future stories.

In February, now that we have the idea, what is next? Do we outline? How detailed? If not, what is the ‘seat of the pants’ writing?

In March, we sit down and start the process of putting words on that blank piece of paper.

Get the idea? We want everyone to participate. There are no dumb statements. Really, there aren’t.

Programming goals are to have speakers that will teach us something about the writing process or the publishing process. Mixed into that line-up, we want to have some technically savvy presenters so we learn some of the basics of police procedure, private investigator practices and, hopefully, a field trip or two for some in person learning.

Also, each month we want to spotlight one of our Derby Rotten Scoundrels via our web site blog – that is to say, we would like a brief article (about 500-600 words, plus abt 50-word bio), especially from those who haven’t already posted an article, on some topic related to yourself, your writing, your favorite authors – this will be very open and flexible. This will be a good way to meet each other and learn an unexpected thing or two about our sisters. You can volunteer now by emailing Elaine and we will set up the queue.

Thank you for reading all this. We hope to see you on January 14th, at noon, via Zoom. Our speaker is John DeDakis, a former senior editor at CNN and author of several books. The most recent is FAKE, a Lark Chadwick novel. Be sure to register for the zoom when Susan sends out the invite.

Lastly, a big thank you to all who attended the Holiday Book Signing at Barnes & Noble on December 3rd. All of the authors appreciate your support.

New Year, New News. Sit right down and write yourself a book!

Your board: Elaine, Carol, Susan, Leanne, Patience and Miki.