Sleuths

On the nightly news, we’re bombarded by murder stories. Senseless, accidental, or deliberate. News reporters ask the questions we want to know. How? Why? Who? Once the last question is answered, we want justice for the victim.

But sometimes, despite the best efforts of the police, the case goes unsolved. While that happens in real life, in fiction we want, no, demand that every crime be solved. On TV, it’s solved in an hour. More like forty-four minutes if you take out the commercials. In a novel, we get three hundred pages or more.

The death of actor James Garner this weekend reminded me of his show The Rockford Files. No hard-boiled detective there. While I loved him as Maverick (actually, I had a mad teenage crush on him), his easy-going persona as Jim Rockford seemed like a perfect fit for the actor. The humor made the show even more appealing. Like Castle. It’s no coincidence that both shows were created by Stephen J. Cannell.

On television, in movies and books, each sleuth has/had his own style. Sam Spade, played brilliantly by tough-guy Humphrey Bogart. Columbo, seemingly bumbling, yet sharply observant. Castle, the smart-ass yet loving father and long-suffering son. Who reads Raymond Chandler and doesn’t think of Robert Mitchum as Phillip Marlowe? Then there’s the miscast of the decade—Tom Cruise as Lee Child’s 6’5” 230 pound Jack Reacher.

Where are the women sleuths?

I cut my teeth on Nancy Drew. I under appreciated Miss Marple and Jessica Fletcher because of their age. Now that I’m their age (sort of) I’ve changed my mind. While I enjoyed reading V.I. Warshawski and Kinsey Millhone, I love female duos like Cagney & Lacey and Rizzoli & Isles. Then there’s Stephanie Plum. ROTFLOL Actually, lying in bed reading and trying to hold in laughter so the bed shaking doesn’t wake Hubs.

A new girl will join the others next month. Alex O’Hara. Not as young as Nancy but not as old as Agatha or Jessica, Alex inherited a detective agency when her dad and his partner retired. Making it alone as a female P.I. in a small, lakeshore resort town is no easy task. Until a femme fatale straight out of a Dashiell Hammett book comes calling—no, begging for help finding her missing brother.

Here’s a look at the cover, created perfectly by Rebel Ink Designs.

 

Who's your favorite detective?

Cover Reveal - The Chameleon

Whoo-hoo! Here's the cover for my newest science fiction romance, The Chameleon (an Outer Rim novel). Rebel Ink Designs perfectly captures the dichotomy between the persona Jileena Winslott presents to the world and who she really is.

Short blurb:

Legally Blond meets Mata Hari

Socialite Jileena Winslott has perfected the image of the spoiled, rich, bubble-headed daughter of an industrial magnate. In reality, she’s a smart, savvy aide to her father in social situations where she is his eyes and ears. She yearns to be her true self and run the family business. When her father sends her on a covert mission to the Outer Rim, she has the chance to prove herself. Big problem. He insists she take along a fake fiancé—the man she’s secretly loved for years.

The Chameleon will be available on Monday, May 12.

Insecure Writers Support Group - A Crappy April

It’s the first Wednesday of the month and time for the Insecure Writers Group. The purpose is to share and encourage. Writers can express doubts and concerns without fear of appearing foolish or weak. Those who have been through the fire can offer assistance and guidance. It’s a safe haven for insecure writers of all kinds! A big THANKS to Ninja Captain Alex J. Cavanaugh for starting this group and keeping it going. And to this month's awesome hosts Mark Koopmans, Joylene Nowell Butler, Elsie, and Lisa Buie-Collard!

April 2014 is a month I’d rather not repeat. The day after the last ISWG post I woke up with severe pain on the right side of my ribs. It hurt to take a deep breath. Talk about scary. Probably not as scary for me as for my husband when I woke him up with “you need to take me to Emergency.”

Our minds do crazy things when we don’t know what’s happening to our bodies. It took me over half an hour to wake up my husband. Why? Because I’m stupid. First, I figured I pulled a muscle and if I changed positions—rolling over, walking, sitting in a chair—the pain would go away. Yeah, right. Severe pain goes away by all by itself. Then, I tried more self-diagnosing. I’m not a doctor, but I stayed at a Holiday Inn. LOL My son-in-law is a doctor. Did I call him? Hah. As I said, stupid.

Long story short, I had—Surprise!—blood clots in my lungs. I had pulmonary emboli before, after knee replacement surgery. Didn’t feel the same so I didn’t recognize the symptoms. Scary, yes, but I was in the best place, even though three days in a hospital is no fun. Coming home was great, but was I ever tired. My doctor says he tells all his older patients (note, he didn’t say old) that for every day in the hospital figure a week of recovery. I can say he’s right. So the rest of April was pretty much shot.

On top of that, I had a major glitch in releasing my newest book romance. After waiting almost two months for the cover, my designer finally told me that because of health problems she couldn’t do it. I know all about health problems so how could I be mad?

After a crappy April, I have two pieces of good news. The best is I didn’t die from the PEs. (I’m rather glad of that. LOL) And the second is I have a new cover designer, Rebel Ink Designs, who dropped everything to work on the cover of my soon-to-be-released science fiction romance. And here it is:

I have to say that May is starting out great.

Click here to find others on the Insecure Writers Support Group Blog Hop. Or go to IWSG on Facebook to see who’s blogging today.