Interview with Gwen Mayo - 12 Days of SinC Christmas

 

Who is Gwen Mayo?

Gwen Mayo is a history junkie who grew up in the hills of Eastern Kentucky.  Her home state’s colorful past forms the backdrop for her Nessa Donnelly mysteries, Circle of Dishonor and Concealed in Ash. The series is set during the turbulent political upheaval of post-Civil War Kentucky at a time when Kentuckians were often confronted with murder.

She teamed up with humorist Sarah E. Glenn to write the Three Snowbirds travel mysteries set in the 1920s. Murder on the Mullet Express, Murder at the Million Dollar Pier, and Ybor City Blues are available wherever books are sold. The fourth Three Snowbirds mystery, Mustering Out, is coming soon.

Gwen is a graduate of the University of Kentucky, an active member of the Short Mystery Fiction Society, and a member of the Derby Rotten Scoundrels Chapter of Sisters in Crime and the Florida Gulf Coast Sisters in Crime. Her short stories have appeared in anthologies, in webzines, and in micro-fiction collections.  

The Giveaway:

On December 5th and 6th, the Kindle version of Murder on the Mullet Express will be free. 

We also have a brand new audiobook for this novel! Sarah Glenn is giving away a copy of the audiobook on December 6th. Visit her blog tomorrow to learn how to enter the drawing for a free download of the audiobook version of Murder on the Mullet Express.

The Interview:

1. What genre do you write in, and what drew you to that genre? Do you aspire to write in another genre? If so, which one(s)?

I write historical mysteries because I love the genre and the history. Classic whodunits are puzzles with key pieces hidden in plain sight. Using my brain to become a detective, follow clues, avoid misdirection, and find the truth is a wonderful experience. Exploring another time and place makes historical mystery the ultimate escape.

2. How many books have you written? Which is your favorite?

My current Three Snowbirds mystery, Ybor City Blues, is the third book in the series, which I co-write with Sarah E. Glenn. I wrote two historical thrillers in the Nessa Donnelly series, set in Kentucky during the 1870s. I have also written dozens of short stories, some in conjunction with Sarah, including one in the anthology, Paradise is Deadly – Gripping Tales from Florida’s Gulf Coast. 

It's hard to choose a favorite book. They are all pieces of me. I suppose it would have to be my first book, Circle of Dishonor. 

I had written a few short stories with my cross-dressing detective, Nessa Donnelly. 

The idea of writing a full-length novel was daunting. It took a little pressure and a lot of encouragement from my Sisters in Crime chapter in Kentucky to get me to attempt a book. 

It took lots of pressure and much laughter to get me to let my boss become the doctor in my book. The character of Dr. Haydon is not only named for him but was completely rewritten with him in mind. 

He died of cancer shortly after the book was released. I will never forget the look on his face when he held the first copy up and told everyone in the room that he was going to live forever.

3. What's your approach to writing? Are you a plotter, or do you let your story unfold and the characters present themselves (Pantser)?

I am a plotter. I start with a brief outline of what I intend to write. The outline does get shifted some as the story progresses. Characters get their own ideas of what they should do, but the bare bones of the story remain. I also write from beginning to end, which is really hard when you team up with a writing partner who is a pantser, who starts writing with whatever scene she likes and fixes everything when the story is off track. It has made for some interesting conversations.

4. If you could have one superpower, what would it be and why?

Healing. It would be amazing to have the power to stop pain, ease suffering, and mend the damage life throws at us.  

5. Since it’s the holidays, what’s your favorite holiday food?

Just one? That is so unfair. The holidays are all about getting together for fun and fabulous food. Turkey is the star at Thanksgiving; not just the bird and turkey gravy, but my father’s turkey dumplings and Sarah’s grandmother’s stuffing rely on rich turkey broth. My younger sister’s broccoli casserole and her pumpkin rolls are also big favorites. 

As for Christmas, I have a dozen amazing cookie recipes, one for chocolate pecan pie and the best old-fashioned peanut butter fudge recipe around. Over twenty years ago, I started a new family tradition by roasting a full prime rib for the Christmas dinner and serving it with a side of orzo thick with fresh spinach and toasted pine nuts. The other sides vary depending on who’s coming and what their favorite foods are, but the mingled aroma of Christmas in our kitchen makes every mouth water.

There is no way that I can pick just one favorite holiday food. Can you?

6. Tell us about your current work in progress.

I am working on book 4 in the Three Snowbirds series, Mustering Out. Cornelia is ready to retire, but a series of unexplainable deaths among the lung patients brings out the detective in her. The provost officers in charge of the case look no further than Cornelia’s hand-picked successor but Cornelia knows Ruth would never harm a patient. Her efforts to find the real killer threaten to turn her retirement party into a wake as Cornelia, Teddy, and Uncle Percival race against time to discover the angle of death roaming the halls of Fitzsimmons General Hospital. 

Lightning Round – Just for fun:

1. Holiday pies --- apple or pumpkin: Apple, if those are the choices. I prefer Pecan.

2. Morning person or night owl:         Night Owl

3. Beach or Mountains: Beach in spring, mountains in the fall

4. City or Country: Country

5. Vanilla or Chocolate Ice Cream: Vanilla

6. Favorite Movie: The Princess Bride

7. Last book Read: Hop Scot by Catriona McPherson

8. Print, audio, or ebook: Print, I’m old school (maybe just old)

Other books by Gwen Mayo:

Murder at the Million Dollar Pier - co-written with Sarah E. Glenn.

Ybor City Blues -  co-written with Sarah E. Glenn.

Circle of Dishonor - a Nessa Donnelly story.

Concealed in Ash - a Nessa Donnelly story.

Short Stories:

"Bolita and Blues" - Paradise is Deadly: Gripping Tales from Florida’s Gulf Coast -  co-written with Sarah E. Glenn

"Special Label" - Mystery with a Splash of Bourbon

"Two Old Crows" - co-written with Sarah E. Glenn for Mystery with a Splash of Bourbon

"The Odds Are Always Uneven" -  co-written with Sarah E. Glenn for Hoosier Hoops and Hijinks

Learn more about Gwen Mayo at:

Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/p/Gwen-Mayo-Author-100063602106093/

Author page - https://gwenmayo.weebly.com/

Join the Thunderclap for Gwen Mayo!

Inspiration Has Struck!

Marian Allen named my blog as one of her Very Inspiring Blogs for my actions in the face of adversity. And here I thought I was just carping and whining.

Rules:

Display the award logo on your blog.
State SEVEN facts about yourself.
Link back to the person who had already nominated you.
Nominate seven other bloggers who deserve this award.
Notify each of the bloggers of your nomination.

My seven facts:

1. Marian has never seen TITANIC. I have never seen TOP GUN.

2. I took classes in dancing during college. Because I enjoyed it, not because I was necessarily good at it.

3. My burning ambition in my teenage years was to write and draw for Marvel comics.

4. Many authors start with fanfic. But did you know that my first fanfic was inspired by The Black Stallion?

5. I co-founded a Pagan church in Kentucky. My official position, as I described it to the IRS, was 'genetrix'.

6. I still buy Pretenders albums. Yeah, it's no longer the Eighties, but Chrissie Hynde isn't dead.

7. I loathe James Joyce's writing, no matter how much Joseph Campbell loved it.

My most inspiring blogs:

1. I gotta kick the first one back to Marian. She finds joy in the littlest things.

2. Doctor Grumpy in the House: Dr. Grumpy's posts about strange patient encounters are hilarious, but he also gives us insights on American history. The Love Boat - 1863 is probably my all-time favorite.

3. The SL Newser. Coverage of the arts and community in Second Life. A great boost to the creatives there and a revelation of how many good-spirited people there are in SL.

4. Other Things Amanzi. This is the blog of "Bongi", a surgeon who works in Mpumalanga, South Africa. His observations about life, surgery, and his area of South Africa always take me out of myself. It's a whole other world. He doesn't post enough.

5. Gwen Mayo's blog. Yes, she's my spouse. Her view of our shared life, however, does the same thing Bongi's posts do.

6. Magpie a la modus operandi. Marguerite's great personal accounts about her life that make observations about life in general. Perseverance is a virtue after all.

7. Terribleminds: Chuck Wendig. His combination of writer's coaching and drill-sergeant language inspires me to get back on the keyboard when I think my writing sucks.

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Great Stuff you find when looking up background info: Aladdin City

I found this while doing research for the novel Gwen and I are writing together. Great information and engaging reading!

Sears Homes of Arlington Heights and Mount Prospect: Aladdin City: the “Town Where Homes Will Rise Almost Over Night: The Aladdin Company of Bay City, Michigan was a competitor of Sears in the mail-order house business. (Click link to learn more. LOVED it.)

Mystery and Horror, LLC: Open for Submissions

I start with a tale of woe.

2011 was a great year for me. I had a bunch of short stories published, and my first novel, All This and Family, Too (vampire satire) came out. My wife, Gwen Mayo, had her own novel, a historical mystery. We had a house, jobs, health insurance, savings, and friends. We legally organized as Mystery and Horror, LLC to make our joint expenses as authors easier to handle.

Then came 2012. My father collapsed and it was clear that my mother needed help. My wife and I quit our jobs, sold our house to my stepdaughter (for the cost of the mortgage), and relocated to Florida to care for my dad in the last months of his life. Our writing came to a standstill.

Now, it's 2013. We're still in Florida, since my mother needs help maintaining the life we wanted to preserve. We learned, in January, that Pill Hill Press had closed. That was the publisher of our novels. We're still waiting to hear about their fate. 

So... we started our own press with some seed money. Since we're already legally organized, it comes under the banner of our LLC: Mystery and Horror. Guess what we publish?

Let me tell you about our first anthologies. Please note that contributors will each get a free print copy of the antho, plus a $5 advance on royalties.

Strangely Funny

An anthology of humorous paranormal stories. All stories must contain paranormal elements (ghosts, psychic abilities, vampires, etc.) and be funny. Think Addams Family, Zombieland, or Love at First Bite. They should not contain gratuitous violence, gratuitous sex, or excessive foul language. We're seeking stories that are 2000 - 5000 words in length (firm). We will also accept cartoons if submitted in electronic format. No reprints. We will accept multiple submissions, but not simultaneous submissions. Open submission period: March 1 - June 10th, 2013.

Halloween Project: All Hallows' Evil

An anthology of mystery stories set during Halloween/Samhain/CandyFest. We're seeking stories that are 4000 - 8000 words in length (firm). Paranormal elements are acceptable as long as the central story is a mystery. Open submission period: April 20 - July 15th, 2013. 

The Undead of Winter

This one has cover art already!

Mummies, Zombies, Vampires, Ghosts... if it's dead and still getting around, we're interested in it. Stories should be set in the winter months. Holiday stories are welcome... Hanukkah, Christmas, Solstice, Kwanzaa, etc... but they should be winter holidays. We're seeking stories that are 3000 - 8000 words in length (firm). Open submission period: August 1 - October 1, 2013.

You can find our general guidelines, plus an explanation of our royalty structure, on our Guidelines and Payments page.

We will be opening for novels soon. Stay tuned...

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TGI 2013, and TG I Have Friends

Anyone who's dealt with me knows I love to talk. I like to give opinions, tell stories, and supply a generous amount of humor to conversations. There are only two times I don't. One is when I'm too busy, the other is when things have gone drastically wrong in my life.

2011 was one of the happiest, and busiest, years of my life. 2012 was the saddest.

My father's first visit to the hospital happened during my appearance at the Kentucky Book Fair in November 2011. I joked with the authors beside me that he was trying to weasel out of a heart cath, so he couldn't be that bad off.

At Christmas, it was clear that he was in trouble. He was physically miserable and unable to do much more than watch television. Gwen and I asked then if he needed us to move down to Florida to help out. He refused, saying he wasn't 'there' yet.

On February 26th, he arrived.

He collapsed at his computer, and Mother called 911. He spent the next month in the hospital, while Gwen and I gave quick notice at our jobs and packed up the house. We wouldn't have made it without the help of Gwen's family. They helped us pack, made repairs on the house, and took turns on the drive to Florida. They were truly wonderful.

We arrived to a mess. My parents' house, and their way of living, required severe adjustments. Dad was wheelchair bound, so we had the local handyman over to put in ramps. He also converted the enclosed bath into a walk-in so Dad could use a bench.

Most of the bill-paying and medication ordering had been done online by my father. We strongly suspect that he had a mini-stroke when he collapsed, because when he came home he was no longer able to use his computer. Gwen and I took those over, and now they are done mostly on paper so my mother can participate.

His health continued to decline, which you may have gathered from the obit I posted earlier this year. In many ways, his death was a mercy. It was a hard way to die, and I am grateful to Hospice for making it as comfortable as possible.

I didn't post much here, but I did share the harrowing experience with my friends on Facebook. So many of them offered their support and encouragement during the bad times, I could not name them all. During the final week in the hospice facility, several were posting cute kitten and puppy pictures nonstop on my wall because it was my only relief from the emotional blast furnace.

A number of arrangements and filings had to be made, and we're still making bureaucratic adjustments nearly four months later. Enough space has been opened up, though, to see our future, and we don't have one. Gwen has a part-time job, and I don't know if I have a real post-holiday job with Macy's yet. We have no savings left and no health insurance.

I'm still looking forward to 2013, though... because I'm damned glad 2012 is over.

The Next Big Thing

And now it's time to discuss my Next Big Thing. This is part of a blog series focusing on authors' newest projects. I was invited by Stacy Juba, and you can learn about her new project here. In my case, November is the most appropriate month to do this post, since I am a regular participant in NaNoWriMo. Don't worry, it'll get edited before it's ever submitted to a publisher or beta readers.

What is the working title of your book?
Murder on the Mullet Express.

Where did the idea come from for the book?
Gwen Mayo and I have written some short stories together about the adventures of two retired WWI nurses, Cornelia Pettijohn and Theodora "Teddy" Lawless. This is our first novel with these characters. The book also features Professor Pettijohn, Cornelia's uncle. He is a retired engineering professor, inventor, and gadget enthusiast.

What genre does your book fall under?
Historical mystery with a strong dash of comedy.

Which actors would you choose to play your characters in a movie rendition?
Margaret Rutherford and Betty White. Sadly, Rutherford is no longer with us. Elaine Stritch is a possibility. Professor Pettijohn... Ed Asner or Richard Attenborough. Someone sharp who played Santa Claus.

What is the one-sentence synopsis of your book?
Three geezers go to Florida to find a winter home and get tangled in a murder plot when they take The Mullet Express.

Will your book be self-published or represented by an agency?
Our first novels didn't fit either of these categories. Not sure what will happen with this tale, but I'm open-minded.

How long did it take you to write the first draft of your manuscript?
(Maniacal laughter) I don't do drafts, I do timeline revisions. I save the previous documents as incomplete alternate histories. Once I have a complete timeline, I fix errors.

What other books would you compare this story to within your genre?
Some of the Victoria Trumbull books by Cynthia Riggs might make a good comparison, especially Shooting Star.

Who or what inspired you to write this book?
My great-great aunt was a nurse who served in WWI, and suffered lung damage from mustard gas. She never married, belonged to the DAR, and traveled round the country to meet the cousins she discovered in her genealogical research. She was an active birdwatcher and, according to everything I've ever heard, stubborn as hell. I've drawn from these aspects for the characters of Cornelia and Teddy.

What else about your book might pique the reader’s interest?
There have been very few fiction works published about Homosassa Springs. I know, because I've looked. We also take advantage of some other underrepresented items: Florida's land boom (and bust) along the Gulf Coast, and organized crime in the Tampa Bay area. You hear a lot about Al Capone in Miami during the 30s, but Charlie Wall was a major figure in Tampa during the 20s.

The nurses in our story are also a couple. Readers looking for LBGT characters, especially senior ones, might find the characters interesting.

Now tagging Next Big Thing entries for:

Pamela Turner
S.D. Bancroft
Cheri Crystal
Lynn Crain

Preview of Coming Attractions

It will come as no surprise to regular readers that, once again, I am participating in NaNoWriMo. I've participated every year since 2005. I've never 'won' by writing the requisite 50,000 words, but November is always my most productive month now.

Usually, NNWM just ups my word count on whatever my current WIP is, but this year I will be starting a new novel with the 'regular' participants. How is it different? Glad you asked. Okay, maybe you didn't ask. This novel is a collaborative effort. I'm writing in conjunction with my wife, Gwen Mayo.

During NNWM, Gwen will be finishing up the sequel to Circle of Dishonor while I start work on the joint novel. We've been doing research on locations and history for the last month (you can read more about that here). It will be a mystery novel, and will be set in Florida. Our heroes aren't characters from either of our novels, but we've written a couple of short stories with them and one tale, at least, has been accepted for a 2013 anthology.

In other news: I will be featuring at least one author interview in the near future, plus, I hope, more frequent posting. This has been a long, difficult year for me. 2011 was one of the best years in my life; 2012 has been one of the worst.

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Where the Hell Did I Go?

It's been a long damned time since my last post.... because a lot has happened since, and it hasn't been good.

My father, who has sarcoidosis and pulmonary hypertension, collapsed at the end of February. The EMTs were able to stabilize and transport him to the hospital, but he will need care for the rest of his life. My mother, who has arthritis of the spine and diabetes, was unable to do this on her own.

Instead of them going to assisted care (more likely a nursing home for my father's needs), Gwen Mayo and I quit our jobs and moved to Tarpon Springs, Florida. Yes, we had a mortgage. Yes, we had years of payments left on the car we purchased in October of last year. Yes, we owe money for other stuff. But move we did. It beat leaving my mother alone and destitute after my father passes (I hope the latter will be delayed with our assistance).

We were fortunate to receive assistance, in the form of both cash and labor, from our coworkers and friends. My stepdaughter has taken over the house so the grandsons will have a place to live when they're ready for college (that day is approaching faster than I thought possible). Dad is out of the hospital and appears to be on the mend, albeit at reduced capability.

I hope to get some type of income soon. It will need to be part-time, at least during this stage of my father's recovery. Will I ever write again? Composing this blog, I hope, is a positive step.

Right now, all my brain wants to do is scream. Even after being here for three weeks.

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Decompression

The 2011 book tour is over, and NaNoWriMo is over as well. Finally, I get to come out of crazy writer mode - just in time to make the shift into crazy holiday mode. If I find the time between now and January, I might be able to do some book reviews. The great thing about attending Bouchercon is the number of free books and review copies the attendees receive. I have several interesting ARCs in the island of paper products surrounding my end of the couch.

Oh, yeah, I might want to sort that pile out. Right now, our living room looks like a ransacked library. Let's not discuss what the kitchen looks like.

But the first fun thing I'm getting to read is from my wife, Gwen Mayo. She's almost finished with the sequel to Circle of Dishonor. Guess who has the first 55K words of that sequel on a memory stick jacked into her laptop? You got it. I'm the person who sees her stuff before the beta readers. I guess that makes me the alpha reader.

Anyhoo: Sorry for the breaks between posts. I have been waaaayyy too active this year.

Halloween Releases

Gotta love the Cthulhu on the cover!

I have two new short stories out in time for Halloween, both in Pill Hill Press anthologies. The Big Book of New Short Horror has 58 (!) horror stories, many of them by excellent authors like Mark Souza and Deb Eskie.

My own story in the collection, "Patch Test", involves a horrific application of nanomedicine. It is one of the unfunniest stories I've ever written and is possibly (due to subject matter) the most controversial one as well. 

Nothing cutesy about these stories!

Halloween Frights, Volume I, is Pill Hill's offering for the holiday. It contains thirteen scary stories, including another one by Mark Souza and one by my spouse, Gwen Mayo.

My own story, "Fire Insurance, Inc." takes place in a Hell House. For the uninitiated, this is a house of horrors set up by fundamentalist Christians to show teenagers where they could wind up if they make the 'wrong' choices. My question: what happens if Hell horns in on the action?

Both collections are very reasonably priced for Kindle, and, naturally, I encourage you to check them out. Print versions should be available soon.

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FandomFest Weekend

In case you haven't heard of FandomFest, it's taking place in Louisville the weekend of July 22-24. It's a gathering for fandoms of all sorts - gamers, comic collectors, horror movie fans, zombie fans... everyone from John Carpenter to yours truly will be there!

Gwen Mayo and I will both be participating in FandomFest's Literary Track. My schedule is below:

Friday:
7:00 pm     Concourse: Signing
10:00 pm   Panel Room C: Reading

Saturday:
2:00 pm     Panel Room B: Mystery Writing

Sunday:
10:00 am    Panel Room B: Writing Fan Fiction
3:00 pm      Panel Room B: The Paranormal in Fiction

Gwen Mayo and I will also be running the Pill Hill Press booth in the vendors' area. Come by to get a signed copy of All This and Family, Too or Circle of Dishonor! Gwen and I will also be offering Tarot readings.

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Sorta-Kinda Convention Schedule

Yes, it's been a while since I posted. I've thought about posting, but my little gray cells have been busy elsewhere, mostly working with my wife to determine our schedule for the rest of the year. I'm sending out ARCs, and have received the final-final copy from Pill Hill of my novel, All This and Family, Too. I have a couple of short stories I should be hearing about, now that their submission deadlines have passed.

So... the schedule so far:

April:
Gwen is presenting at Authorfest in Schaumburg, IL next Saturday. I'll be tagging along, but not speaking. If you like historical fiction, you'll like her presentation AND her writing.

June:
Gwen and I will be attending the Golden Crown Literary Society conference in Orlando, FL. We're con "Virgins", so I'm expecting to be sacrificed.

July:
We'll be at FandomFest in Louisville, KY. Come on down to see the zombies!

September:
15 - 18: Bouchercon in St Louis, MO. Gwen and I both hope to be on panels, but there's a lot of competition. We're already scoping barbecue places.
23 - 25: Scarefest in Lexington, KY. Not sure who the headliner will be, but it was George Romero last year!

October:
22: A Day of Mystic Blood Lust in Lexington, KY. See the trailer below for more info:



We really wish we could afford to go to Magna cum Murder this year (28-30), but we just don't have the money. I'm especially sorry since Parnell Hall is the featured guest.

November:
12th: I hope to have a berth at the Kentucky Book Fair in Frankfort.

We hope to see you at one or more of these gatherings!
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Guest Posting on Gwen Mayo's Blog Tonight

I did a guest blog for "Thursday's Thugs", a regular feature on Gwen Mayo's blog. The focus is usually on mystery, but I take a slight genre departure to talk about a double standard one of Marion Zimmer Bradley's most famous villains benefits from.

Read my contribution at:

http://gwenmayo.blogspot.com/2011/03/thursdays-thugs-double-standard.html

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Voices of Mystery: Molly MacRae

Ball State professor Nancy Carlson interviews Molly MacRae about her newest novel, Lawn Order. The interview took place at the last Magna cum Murder.



When you're through watching this interview, why not follow up with Gwen Mayo's?

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Please go VOTE for my wife!

Preditors & Editors is doing their Best of 2010 poll. If you're familiar with their usual work, I want to assure you that this is a positive poll.

Gwen Mayo's book, Circle of Dishonor, is in the running for Best Mystery Novel. Gwen is my wife, in case you didn't know... so I am imploring everyone to go over to the poll and vote for her. While you're there, you might find some other books and authors you want to support. Pill Hill Press is making a very good showing in several categories.

The slate for Mystery Novels is at:

http://www.critters.org/predpoll/novelmys.shtml

Please consider supporting Gwen's first novel... if not, support someone. Writers need all the encouragement they can get.

Your friend in nepotism,

Sarah Glenn
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Dressed to the Nines at Magna Cum Murder

Gwen and I at Magna cum Murder

If you've never been to Magna cum Murder, you're missing a great con. It's certainly not on the grand scale of a Bouchercon or Left Coast Crime, but it's a lot more intimate. You have a much better chance of speaking one-on-one with the featured authors, getting a seat at a panel discussion, and they even feed you!

Since it took place over Halloween, costumes were encouraged for the Saturday night banquet. Gwen and I went all out, deciding to go as Baby Face Nelson and "Darla", his moll. We picked up the jacket and gown from Goodwill, the garter holster and feather boa from the Halloween store, and the purple pistol from Meiers. Gwen made my headdress herself. To complete the costume, I had to reacquaint myself with some of the feminine arts: lipstick, makeup, and leg-shaving. That last is definitely not in the Lesbian Handbook.

Gwen was pleased with my look, though. She took several pictures. Later, I discovered that crossing your legs in a slit dress means your lap is covered and everything else is exposed. One is definitely not going online. I looked like a Georgia O'Keefe painting: petals spread wide, and stamens hanging out!

At the banquet, they had the people in costumes parade around so everyone could see them. Prizes were also given out. I am afraid that we lost out to "Bonnie and Clyde", who had professional costumes. Several people told us afterward that we were robbed. Even so, we had a great time.

Perhaps I'll be able to write more about Magna later. NaNoWriMo is taking most of my 'spare' time at the moment.

Circle of Dishonor: a Spouse's Review

My wife's first novel.

I think this is a great book, but I have some serious biases. Here are some things I enjoy, though:

1. The heroine is not posing as a man in order to follow the man she loves or to avoid being married off. She took up the masquerade to get her man, not 'get a man'.

2. The secret society involved in this post-Civil War intrigue is not the Ku Klux Klan. The KKK were active, but not the only group in operation.

3. The story is set in a very exciting and turbulent ti ...more  
I think this is a great book, but I have a serious bias. Here are some things I enjoy, though:

1. The heroine is not posing as a man in order to follow the man she loves or to avoid being married off. She took up the masquerade to get her man, not 'get a man'.

2. The secret society involved in this post-Civil War intrigue is not the Ku Klux Klan. The KKK were active, but not the only group in operation.

3. The story is set in a very exciting and turbulent time of Kentucky's history, one that is underrepresented in fiction. Between the Regulators, the Klan, and the feuds, one could set hundreds of stories here without running out of material. Gwen brings up some of this history without being pedantic.

4. The story has classic noir elements without being set in a 'noir' era or featuring a Sam Spade ripoff. You have the alienated private eye who keeps booze in a convenient drawer. You have the hooker with the heart of gold. You even have organized crime, although it is a different sort of 'mob'.

5. The 'current' plan of the villains is truly dastardly. I won't give it away and spoil the fun.

Want to draw your own conclusions? Go to gwenmayo.com and click on the link to read a sample from the novel. I don't think you'll be disappointed.

Lessons I learned from Gwen's launch party

Gwen and I at the book launch!

Monday night, Gwen and I threw the launch party for Circle of Dishonor. It was wildly successful, especially in comparison to Parnell Hall's lament (detailed in an earlier post). We had well over fifty people drop by the ultra-hip bistro Natasha's to celebrate with us and, in most cases, purchase a copy of the book.

We made back the money we invested in the first shipment of books, which will of course go immediately towards purchasing another shipment for Gwen's next signing. I also learned some important things to pass along to folks who haven't had the pleasure of launching a novel yet:

• Bring plenty of pens. The author needs at least two good pens, and the person writing the receipts needs one, too (you will be writing receipts to show when you get audited, right?). You will also need spares to set out for check writers who have nothing to write with. None of our pens walked away, but it's best to be prepared.

• Bring change, and lots of it. Unless your book is really expensive or a hardback, people will give you a Yuppie Food Stamp (aka a $20 bill) and you will need to make change... again and again.

• Try to avoid the night before school starts. Some of your customers will need to attend parent meetings instead of your event. No, my parents never did this either, but things have changed.

• The unexpected is not always a bad thing. Natasha's had scheduled a pianist for the same time slot as our book launch. I was worried that this meant no one would be able to hear Gwen or each other, but the music proved a pleasant background for our munching and socializing guests. Gwen spoke to the pianist before things got rolling and he 'took five' while she greeted everyone and read an excerpt from the book. Later, our gathering was referred to as 'classy' by one guest.

• You will be mistaken for staff. You're sitting at a table in a central area, you have inventory, and a cash box. Of course you work there. Be nice to these people; they don't know you're a soon-to-be-famous author. Plus, the site host doesn't want you wrecking their usual business. Just fetch the waitress.

• You will need to go out for food or have something to warm up at home, because you will be too busy to eat any of the spread you've set out for your guests. Gwen got two cubes of cheese, I got a sprig of grapes. That was it.

• The caterer will add a gratuity charge to his/her quoted price. This is for the aggravation value of pouring drinks, refilling the platters, etc.

• The key to the lockbox will drop to the most inaccessible spot in your purse or pocket, just when you need it. Tiny, isn't it?

And, finally...

• Your bank is more alert than you think. The day after the party, Gwen got a call from her bank requesting that she verify a large charge to Natasha's made on Monday night. Yes, she owned up to it.

We had a great time; I hope you do, too.