Festivals and Conferences and Awards...OH MY

I’ve had a busy year so far. A year ago I’d volunteered to be the book seller liaison for this year’s Pennwriters Conference. I hooked up with Laurie Stephens, the new owner of Mystery Lovers Bookshop who agreed to handle the Conference book sales.  

As we met and made plans for that event, she offered me a job with the book store as author liaison for the Festival of Mystery!

What fun! I had the opportunity to work with all the authors coming to Pittsburgh for the Festival, including one of my favorites, Deborah Coonts, a newcomer to the event.

I also worked closely with Margo at the store, researching all the books, publishers and publication dates prior to ordering stock. I was given access to Ingram’s database, which was one of the most educational experiences I’ve had in ages.

Ingram, by the way, is one of the major distributors of books. By scouring their database, I learned about the deals offered by different publishers to the book stores. Things like discounts and return policies. Fascinating stuff. I could bore you with an entire blog on the subject. But I won’t. Lucky you!

Anyhow, the Festival was a blast. It always is, but being an “insider” made it all the more fun.

I had piggybacked my Festival duties with my Pennwriters Conference duties quite nicely, which was fortunate considering the Conference was less than two weeks after the Festival. This past weekend, Pennwriters held its 26^th Annual Writing Conference. And it was incredible as always. We’re just one big family reunion of writers.

My friends Hank Phillippi Ryan, who just won the Mary Higgins Clark Award, and Ramona DeFelice Long, who is editing our local Sisters in Crime chapters upcoming e-anthology, were in attendance and looked smashing in their color-coordinated outfits.

Agent Donald Maass gave an incredible pre-conference workshop on Thursday and an equally incredible keynote address Friday night.

I was thrilled to finally get to meet my fellow Working Stiffs alum Jennie Bentley AKA Bente Gallagher. Here she is at the booksigning chatting with Mary Sutton.

Saturday morning was exceptional for me. I was presented with the 2013 Pennwriters Meritorious Service Award. I would have put money on me NOT winning it. There are many, MANY deserving volunteers in this organization. I was so convinced I was NOT going to win, I had no speech prepared. As if my brain hadn’t already gone to mush the moment I realized Ayleen Stellhorn was talking about ME in her introduction, the membership gave me a standing ovation as I stepped up to accept the award. 

Somehow I choked out a few brief, but heartfelt, words of appreciation. Don’t ask me what I said. I have no idea.

So now I’m trying to bring my feet back to earth, my head out of the clouds, and my tush back to my chair to get some writing done. 

Blog Hop!

Some day I’ll learn to ask questions before saying, “Sure, I’ll do it!” Back in November, I’d participated in The Next Big Thing. But when my cowboy pal, Reavis Wortham, recently asked me if I’d be interested in doing a Blog Hop, I answered YES before I had a chance to discover the “Blog Hop” was another name for “The Next Big Thing.” Oh, well, no problem. The first time, I wrote about CIRCLE OF INFLUENCE, which I’m currently pitching to agents. This time I’m writing about SINS OF THE FATHERS, the next in that series.

1: What is the working title of your book? Sins of the Fathers 

2: Where did the idea come from for the book? Years and years ago, a co-worker’s brother was killed in a devastating motorcycle accident. The casket remained closed for the viewing and the funeral service and the sister was never allowed to see her brother’s body because everyone felt it would haunt her. But she later said to me, “How do I know he’s really dead?” She had a lot of problems with closure. That plaintive question stuck with me, and I decided to explore it in this story. How does Zoe know her father’s really dead? Especially when years later, questions arise about the night he supposed died in a car crash. 

3: What genre does your book come under? Police procedural, traditional mystery. 

4: Which actors would you choose to play your characters in a movie rendition? I already cast Pete Adams (Mark Harmon) and Zoe Chambers (Jenna Elfman) when I blogged about CIRCLE OF INFLUENCE. For Zoe’s stepdad, Tom Jackson, I think Tom Selleck would be perfect. I have a clear picture of her mom, Kimberly, but can’t think of an actress who would fit the bill. As Former Chief of Police Warren Froats, I see Jeff Bridges (think of his True Grit Rooster Cogburn role, minus the eye patch). 

5: What is the one-sentence synopsis of your book? How will Deputy Coroner Zoe Chambers solve a murder with links to her own family history when the investigation not only stirs up questions about the death of her father, but indicates he may still be alive, and points to him as the killer?

6: Is your book self-published, published by an independent publisher, or represented by an agency? Hopefully it will be represented by an agency. I’m currently querying agents for the previous book in the series

7: How long did it take you to write the first draft of your manuscript? Oh, heavens. I’m still working on it. This one keeps getting put on the back burner for other projects, but it’s a story demanding to be written, so I hope to have the first draft done this summer.

8: What other books would you compare this story to within your genre? I still hesitate to have the audacity to put my work in the same category as hers, but I have to say Julia Spencer-Fleming’s Clare Fergusson/Russ Van Alstyne Mystery series.

9: Who or what inspired you to write this book? I wanted to somehow pay tribute to my own dad who suffered the horrors of Alzheimer’s Disease, so for the other half of the “Fathers” in the title, I created Pete’s dad, Harry, a loveable old cuss who is drifting away, bit by bit. I love the juxtaposition of Zoe seeking to find her long, lost father, while Pete is losing his pop right in front of his eyes. 

10: What else about your book might pique the reader’s interest? I love to weave together the past with the present and there’s a lot of that here. The homicide investigation (a farmer found hanged in his barn) that kicks the story off has direct ties to a 45-year-old murder/suicide. Zoe’s dad was supposedly killed 27 years ago, but his name is being linked to both that old case and this new one. Cold cases become hot, and hot leads grow cold.

Now make sure you check out Reavis’ blog about his Next Big Thing. I’m tagging two friends to carry on the Blog Hop. Mary Sutton will post hers next Wednesday, February 13, and Deborah Riley-Magnus takes her turn on Wednesday, February 20.

New Year, New Look, New Goals

Once again, I’m choosing to create a list of goals rather than a list of resolutions for the New Year.

But first, a quick look back. I had two dreams for 2012. One was to see my book in print. The other was to take a trip out west. Neither one happened. So much for dreams.

My goals worked out a little better. I did finish my rewrite. I did propose some new articles to Pennsylvania Magazine. On the downside, The Agent decided she wasn't the right one for me and that I needed an agent in New York. Unfortunately, the New York agents didn’t like the manuscript near as much as The Los Angeles Agent did. And my editor at Pennsylvania Magazine wasn’t bowled over with my story ideas. So neither of those two things worked out so well.

But I did my part.

On the other hand, I successfully returned to my treadmill and workout routine and lost over 15 pounds. Yay, me!

In recent weeks, I’ve been pondering the coming year and what I want to accomplish. And how I can get there. I’ve shelved the racetrack mystery AGAIN, and I’m back at work on the Pete and Zoe series. I’ve updated my web site to reflect the new direction I’m taking. So now, the goal thing.

First and foremost, I intend to generate income. I have three ideas for Pennsylvania Magazine, so I intend to start pitching within the next week.

Second, I’m going to start querying Circle of Influence, the first Pete and Zoe mystery. I’m giving it six months. If nothing comes of it, I’m going to send it to some small presses I’ve heard good things about. While I’m doing that, I will finish drafting Sins of the Fathers, the second Pete and Zoe mystery, also known as my Work in Progress.

Short term goals also include a short story I’ve finished drafting and need to polish for a January 31 deadline for our local Sisters in Crime anthology. Even shorter term, I plan to write and submit an article to the National Sisters in Crime newsletter.

And as for last year’s dream of going out west? It’s more than a dream for 2013. I’m making it happen. Plans…SERIOUS plans are in the works. Stay tuned.

Finally, you may have noticed the look of this blog has changed in an effort to more closely match my website. More changes may be forthcoming, but they’re still simmering inside my brain at the moment.

Now, what are YOUR goals, resolutions, and dreams for the New Year?

I love short stories...NOT

I had an epiphany the other day as I struggled with my current short story in progress. I mean, they’re SHORT, so they should be easier to pound out than a 90,000 word novel. Right?

Wrong.

I finally hit on WHY. For me, at least, the hardest part of writing a novel is the first 100 pages of the first draft. I know some writers get hung up on the “muddle in the middle,” but for some reason, I don’t worry about that. The revision process gives me ample opportunity to figure out pacing issues. But the whole business of meeting the main characters, setting the foundation for the plot and subplots, figuring out relationships and roles within the story drives me friggin’ nuts!

And what exactly is a short story? At its entirety, it’s under 100 pages. I never have a chance to get up that head of steam that carries me into the rest of the book. The whole story has me slugging along, trying to find the protagonist’s voice. Struggling to nail the plot. Agonizing over past relationships between the main character and the villain.

In my current case, I have to get it all down in 4,000 to 6,000 words. Yikes. No wonder I’m sprouting new gray hairs at a record-breaking rate!

And now it’s time to go back to work on clawing my way to the end, which happens just when I’m starting to get the feel for it all..

And the Winner IS....

The votes have been tallied and it wasn't even close. The winner by a landslide is #4.

Thanks to everyone who voted and voiced an opinion...especially the flattering ones!

A New Face

I've been hearing over and over lately that I need to get new headshots done. People who only know me from my online presence complain when they meet me that I don't look anything like my picture.

Hmmm. Is that good or bad? I'm still not sure.

However, the fact that I now wear my hair a lot longer than I used to is a fact I can't deny.

The problem with new photos is...well, I'm older than I was when I had those last ones done. If I could get away with posting a picture of me when I was 25, I'd do it in a heartbeat. Seriously, inside my head, that's still what I look like. Outside? Not so much.

But I caved in this weekend. After shooting over 60 frames, I came up with four that I like. So I'm posting them here and asking for a vote. Which ONE photo should be my new "face" for my online persona?

Choice #1

Choice #2

Choice #3

Choice #4

Leave a comment with your favorite. Okay, I get to make the final decision, so this isn't really a democracy, but I can definitely be swayed.

My New Baby

Two years ago, after procrastinating for entirely too long, I had my web designer create a whole new website for me. I wanted it to reflect my “new” mystery series about a small town paramedic/deputy coroner. Yes, the one I wrote about in my last post: The Next Big Thing. But then, just when the new design was ready to go live, I was drawn back to the racetrack mystery by an interested agent.

After a rollercoaster ride that I wouldn’t have traded for the world, it looks like the racetrack story is going back into the drawer. At least for a few months.

I’m back to querying agents for the paramedic mystery. Therefore, at long last, it’s time for the new website. Earlier this week, it went live and I couldn’t be happier with it. If you follow me on Twitter or are friends with me on Facebook, you’ve probably already heard me crowing about my new baby. But in case you haven’t seen the new www.annettedashofy.com yet, please take a look. I plan to do another minor update (new author picture, I hope) next month, so if you have any suggestions or comments, feel free to share them with me.

And Happy Thanksgiving!