Marilyn's Musings

Kay Kendall’s Rainy Day  Women is the second book in her Austin Starr Mystery series. In 1969, during the week of the Manson murders and Woodstock, the intrepid amateur sleuth, infant in tow, flies across the continent to support a friend suspected of murdering women’s liberation activists in Seattle and Vancouver.  Kay fills us in on the lure of the 60s.  The Power of Mad Men —and Plain Old Mad Men Too The advent of Mad Men on television witnessed—or helped cause—the return of the 60s to the popular consciousness. For three decades before that, the tumultuous decade of the 1960s had a bad rep. After all, it was such a divisive time, and people grew tired of it. The vibrant economy of the 1980s turned the page decisively on “radical chic,” and even some 60s activists turned to making money, big time. These days In fashion magazines and stores, the number of retro-hippie clothes and accessories astonishes me. I’ve purchased three items with long suede frin...

By now I’ve been writing fiction long enough that I’ve learned to trust my own inclinations. I used to believe I had to do everything the way the experts suggested. Over time I’ve learned that on some points the experts differ. For example, while most advise that a first draft should be ripped through quickly, without editing as you go, I cannot do that. I just can’t. I always felt guilty about that, since I was doing things WRONG. Finally one day, lo and behold, I began to learn about other authors who are like me. At least one bestselling author and I share a pattern—beginning our writing day by editing what we write the day before. What a relief. Here are some other habits I have learned to trust as well: Just because you’re writing your own book, that doesn’t mean you can stop reading other ones. In fact, I’ve read more, not less, since I began to write fiction. I submerged myself in the mystery/suspense genre for almost two years before I started Desolation Row...