Marilyn's Musings

No, I’m not admitting to murder. Maybe I’ve sometimes been tempted (one former boss comes readily to mind), but I can truthfully say that I never shot, stabbed, clubbed, or poisoned anyone. However, in “The Panda of Death,” my new Gunn Zoo mystery, I write about uncovering one wowser of a family secret, one that actually happened to me. Halfway through the writing of “Panda,” I decided – mainly as a lark – to have my DNA tested. The story had come down through our family that at sometime in the mid-1700s, William Douglas Webb purchased his Delaware Indian wife at a New Jersey slave auction. An intriguing story to be sure, but the DNA test proved it simply wasn’t true; there was no American Indian blood in my lineage. After a few chuckles, I put the test results away and continued writing “The Panda of Death.” I was having trouble with it, mainly because I couldn’t come up with a good-enough subplot, but I persevered. Then one day, my telephone rang. The caller’s acc...

Like it or not, research is invaluable to writing a good mystery novel. But much of that research means double-checking things you already “know.” For instance, I’ve lived in Scottsdale AZ since 1982, and much of my time here has been spent as a reporter, driving back and forth across the Valley of the Sun chasing story after story. So I knew the Valley pretty well, right? Wrong. In the first draft of “Desert Noir,” my first mystery novel, I misnamed streets and put in intersections that don’t exist. I also wrote in tracts of empty desert that no longer exist, having long been replaced by sprawling subdivisions. I misnamed hotels, I misnamed corporations, I wrote in one-way streets running the wrong way. How did this happen? Easy. I was writing from “memory of the known” only, and thus didn’t bother to fact-check my memory. Fortunately, in the second draft of “Desert Noir,” I fact-checked myself via a map and updated business and location information, so I caught those...

                                                        Where do writers get their idea? As the old joke goes, sometimes they buy them at Wal-Mart. In my case, however, I get my ideas by watching real live people do real live crazy things, which is exactly how I came up with the plot of THE LLAMA OF DEATH. I may be best known for my noir-ish Lena Jones mystery series, but I also write the humorous and cozy-ish Gunn Zoo mysteries, which means some pretty loveable animals turn out to be characters in those books. We’re talking koalas, anteaters, lemurs, giraffes, wombats, honey badgers… On second thought, maybe honey badgers aren’t all that adorable, although their mothers probably love them. ...

It's truly countdown for the Public Safety Writers Conference--and yes, I am mightily excited! This is my second year of planning the conference program and I thought last years was good--but we have so many outstanding speakers and people coming this year, I can hardly wait! Now if we can just get through everything without too many gliches, I'll be happy. Though there are quite a few people coming that I know--and I've had the good fortune of meeting two already that I hadn't met before--there are some new folks that are coming for the first time. I'm not only anxious to meet them, but hoping they have an outstanding experience. Wonderful author, Betty Webb is not only giving the keynote speech at Saturday's lunch, but she also offered to teach a class--and I never turn anyone down who volunteers. I've already seen her handouts and this will be a great class for both unpublished and published writers. I hope I can get my camera on my Blackberry to work so ...

The time is drawing near (March 31) for the expiration of the lowest registration fee for the Public Safety Writers Association's conference. The conference is in Las Vegas in June--details here: http://www.publicsafetywriter.com This is a writing conference geared toward fiction and non-fiction crime and mystery writing and writing for the trades (magazines and on-line). Award winning mystery author Betty Webb is one of the keynote speakers. We also have two forensic experts on board plus many in the law enforcement field. Two publishers and an editor are also attending. This is a small conference with lots of opportunities for networking. I'm the program chair and I guarantee there will be something for everyone interested in any kind of writing and particularly with an interest in any of the public safety fields. And there is a writing contest. Marilyn http://fictionforyou.com

There are a lot of mystery and writing conferences to choose from these days, but I'd like to recommend the Public Safety Writers Conferences. Here's the blurb I've been sending out and I encourage others to copy it and pass it on: Don’t forget, March 31 is the last day for the reduced rate for the Public Safety Writers Association Conference. If you write mysteries or non-fiction about crime or any of the public safety fields this is the conference for you. Not only do we have experts in the field of forensics, law enforcement, fire fighting and arson investigating, we are honored to have award winning mystery author Betty Webb as a key speaker. You can be on a panel if you so desire, and you can bring your book to sell in the bookstore—no matter who your publisher is. The conference is June 18-21, 2009 at the Suncoast Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas. To learn more and register, go to http://www.publicsafetywriter.com and click on conference. Three meals are included in the ...

Because the time is drawing close for the early-bird registration fee (September 30), I want to keep reminding people about the PSWA Conference. For all the information go to: http://www.policewriter.com This is one of the best all around writing conferences for anyone writing about crime, fiction or fact, fires, mysteries, thrillers or writing for law enforcement or other public safety magazines in print or online. Anyone who wants to be, will be on a panel. We have no restrictions as to who published your book. Bring your books for sale. The photo is from this year's conference. Michelle, the contest chairperson giving Keith, one of our members, his award for his win in the short story contest. I go to lots of conferences including Bouchercon and Left Coast Crime. I always have a good time, but I must say, this one is at the top of my list for fun and comradeship. This is the place to get all your questions answered. This year we have two forensic experts, an expert on fires, awa...

Plans for next year's PSWA Writers Conference are underway. We’re delighted to announce the addition of Betty Webb as our keynote speaker at Saturday’s lunch. Betty is the author of the prize winning and much acclaimed, hard-boiled Lena Jones books, which are based on stories she covered as a reporter, include Desert Noir, Desert Wives, Desert Shadows, Desert Run and Desert Cut. Her much softer Gunn Zoo series debuted last December with The Anteater of Death. Currently a creative writing teacher at Phoenix College, Betty is a member of National Federation of Press Women, Mystery Writers of America, and the Society of Southwest Authors. Her topic is: "From Hard-boiled to Darn Near Cozy, and Why I Dunnit." and Victoria Heckman, Friday’s Keynote luncheon speaker will talk about "The Journey Is Everything" or "Where The Hell's The AAA When You Need It?" about the journey to becoming a writer and how it parallels our own life journeys. Victoria Heckman...