The Romance of Mystery

60 books and working - A Spirited Gift - By Joyce Lavene

2011-11-30T07:10:00.001-08:00

The story is about our protagonist, Mayor Dae O'Donnell of Duck, NC. She owns the second hand/antique store Missing Pieces on the boardwalk along the Currituck Sound.

She is also a finder of lost things, like her grandmother before her. But Dae's gift has been changing and has led her to interesting, sometimes dangerous places. It's very different from when she was a kid and found keys and wallets for her friends and neighbors. Now she can feel emotions from objects she picks up and she can tell where those objects came from.

In the third book, Dae is trying to find the person responsible for killing her friend, Mayor Sandi Foxx of Manteo. Dae had invited Sandi to a conference of mayors from towns along the Outer Banks. The tail end of a hurricane interrupts the event and when it is over, she finds Sandi's body.

It might look as though Sandi was killed by the storm but Dae knows better. She found Sand's ruby ring and feels her friend's terror from it as someone holds a gun on her.

Dae's quest for justice is hampered by an odd request from a long-dead relation. Pirate scourge Rafe Masterson, who once sailed the coast pillaging and terrorizing the island, is looking for justice too. He claims that he was innocent of the reasons he was hanged and he wants Dae's help in proving it.

Rafe offers to help Dae find Sandi's killer in return. It doesn't seem like she has much choice. He follows her everywhere. Besides, she kind of likes the old pirate and wants to reunite him with his lost love, Mary.

In the aftermath of the destruction that has come to her home, Dae looks for Sandi's killer and tries to lay the ghost of her pirate ancestor to rest. But those gains may come at a steep price, one she may not be ready to pay.

A SPIRITED GIFT is available everywhere on December 6 and available for preorder now at Amazon and Barnes and Noble.

Joyce and Jim Lavene on Facebook
@author54 Twitter
www.joyceandjimlavene.com

60 books and working - A Spirited Gift - By Joyce Lavene

2011-11-30T07:02:00.000-08:00

"You shouldn't play around with the dead," Shayla quoted with dark intent.
"I'm not. Really - maybe you could tell them how serious I am. We could try again after I get things settled down." I hugged her and smiled. "Thank you for being here with me."
She rolled her expressive dark eyes. "Go on then. Go do your mayor thing. I'll try to get this place cleaned up. You know, I think this storm might be worse than the TV weather people are expecting."

We are pleased to announce the publication of our 60th book! It's the third book in the Missing Pieces Mystery series from Berkley Prime Crime, A SPIRITED GIFT.

The story is about our protagonist, Mayor Dae O'Donnell of Duck, NC. She owns the second hand/antique store Missing Pieces on the boardwalk along the Currituck Sound.

She is also a finder of lost things, like her grandmother before her. But Dae's gift has been changing and has led her to interesting, sometimes dangerous places. It's very different from when she was a kid and found keys and wallets for her friends and neighbors. Now she can feel emotions from objects she picks up and she can tell where those objects came from.

In the third book, Dae is trying to find the person responsible for killing her friend, Mayor Sandi Foxx of Manteo. Dae had invited Sandi to a conference of mayors from towns along the Outer Banks. The tail end of a hurricane interrupts the event and when it is over, she finds Sandi's body.

It might look as though Sandi was killed by the storm but Dae knows better. She found Sand's ruby ring and feels her friend's terror from it as someone holds a gun on her.

Dae's quest for justice is hampered by an odd request from a long-dead relation. Pirate scourge Rafe Masterson, who once sailed the coast pillaging and terrorizing the island, is looking for justice too. He claims that he was innocent of the reasons he was hanged and he wants Dae's help in proving it.

Rafe offers to help Dae find Sandi's killer in return. It doesn't seem like she has much choice. He follows her everywhere. Besides, she kind of likes the old pirate and wants to reunite him with his lost love, Mary.

In the aftermath of the destruction that has come to her home, Dae looks for Sandi's killer and tries to lay the ghost of her pirate ancestor to rest. But those gains may come at a steep price, one she may not be ready to pay.

A SPIRITED GIFT is available everywhere on December 6 and available for preorder now at Amazon and Barnes and Noble.

Joyce and Jim Lavene on Facebook
@author54 Twitter
www.joyceandjimlavene.com

How do you decide what's funny? By Joyce Lavene

2011-08-17T10:47:00.000-07:00

How do you decide what's funny?

A woman in an audience at a bookstore asked me this last week.

She said, "Your books are SO funny. But how do you decide when you're writing it that it IS funny?"

Tough question!

I can tell something is funny if I laugh when I'm writing it. Most of the time it isn't planned - it just happens. Those are the best.

Sometimes when we're plotting a story, we think of it then and plot it right in. We can tell it's funny because we're saying,"Oh yeah! And then-"

Otherwise, I'm not sure how you can tell it's funny. A little tickle in the back of your throat when you think about what just happened. Or maybe when one of us laughs out loud.

Of course what we think is funny isn't always the same for everyone who reads it. We've had people tell us our books weren't funny because killing people has to be serious.

We always just think they have a strange sense of humor!

Jim and I will be at the Sisters in Crime meeting in Charlotte on Saturday, August 20 at 11 am, Harbor Inn, University.

Writing Fiction with Facts - By Joyce Lavene

2011-07-31T14:18:00.000-07:00

There is always some truth to our lies. That's what fiction writers say. And even though there may be a spot in the book that says all characters and places aren't real, we know some of them are.

There are two of our daughter's old boyfriends who ended up dead in unpleasant ways. Our neighbor who likes to rev his car engine at 6 am on Sunday mornings met with a sad end too.

There are also good people who we've met or worked with that ended up in our books. They weren't killed - just did interesting things.

And there's the research.

Even when you write fiction, you do research. In our Peggy Lee garden mysteries, we researched plants, poisonous and non-poisonous. We went to garden shows and visited botanists.

In our Renaissance Faire Mysteries, we research crafts we have Jessie do in the books. And of course we go to lots of Ren Faires and festivals!

In our Missing Pieces Mysteries, we research antiques for Dae to have in her shop. We also do research on the paranormal element to the books and spend as much time as we can in Duck, NC.

Now we're writing a new series, the Sweet Pepper Fire Brigade Mysteries. Our protagonist is Stella Griffin, a ten-year veteran of the Chicago Fire Dept. Obviously there will be some research there!

The story takes place in Sweet Pepper, Tennessee. This isn't a real place but we still spent time in the area around the Smoky Mountains outside Dollywood where we imagine the town to be.

But our research has taken a new turn. I knew my grandfather was a fire fighter in Chicago. What I didn't know was that he helped fight the Our Lady of the Angels fire in 1958 where 93 children were killed when their school caught fire.

This research has become personal now. How do you look something like this up when everyone who had first hand knowledge is dead?

I'm not sure yet but I think it will be an interesting journey. And by sharing my family history with Stella, it will make her life more real for us and our readers.

Wish us luck!

Cade's Cove Tennessee

2011-07-24T16:09:00.000-07:00

We visited Cade's Cove when we were in the Great Smoky Mountains. I know it's a story of perseverance and that was good that the land was preserved, but I can't help but feel the tragedy of the people losing their homes.

This was a beautiful valley (cove) where people put down roots in the early 1800s. They struggled here, raised and buried family here. They fought to make their lives have meaning here.

Only to be told they had to leave because the government wanted to create a park.

Now people walk through their empty homes and kids draw on the walls where they lived their lives. Other national parks were established on lands already owned by the federal government. All Great Smokies' land was privately owned. Most people were offered a pittance for what they had, not even enough to go out and make a new life.

Some of the Cade's Cove land owners fought right up to the Supreme Court but were finally forced to leave. You can sense them - still here in the cemetery behind the church and the houses built by hand to last a lifetime.

It's probably not much in the grand scheme of things but sorrow is sorrow and you can feel it here when you visit.

Enjoying the summer

2011-06-25T19:05:00.000-07:00

The sights and sounds of summer are sometimes things you don't expect!

http://www.youtube.com/user/ncwriterlady

Confessions of a gift wrap hoarder

2011-06-23T17:19:00.000-07:00

I admitted it on Facebook. I didn't realize how freeing it would be. Yes! I save useless bits of wrapping paper I may never use. There, I said it again.

And the response was overwhelming. Many people confessed their addiction to shiny silver paper, oddly shaped gift bags and rainbow tissue paper. Some even cried.

But we all realized something important. There is nothing wrong with keeping these tiny scraps of memory. Our children and our children's children can come to us when they don't have wrapping paper. They can rejoice in our attics, basements and closets when they find that perfect piece of gift wrap that couldn't be found anywhere else.

Maybe there should be a group where we can empower each other and learn to live with our addictions, confess our weakness and find strength and salvation.

I'm going to set up that Facebook page right away.

HAUNTS AND EATS - Thomasville, NC

2011-03-31T04:00:00.000-07:00

In November 0f 1982, something amazing happened. The small town of Thomasville, known for its furniture business and barbecue, became a worldwide center of phenomena. The ghost at San Mor Company was reported in the Montreal Gazette, The Miami News, The London Post and the Windser Star.

Now maybe it was just a slow news time but I think it's more likely that people were faced with real paranormal phenomena and wanted to know all they could.

The ghost at 20 Peace Street, where the San Mor Furniture Comany was, had been there for a long time prior to that date. The workers there called him Lucifer, Lucas for short. Most of them had seen him or at least seen the results of his work at one time or another. He had a bad habit of knocking things over and appearing at odd times during the night shift.

The ghost was reported as being about six feet tall with a blurred face but most people thought he was an older man. He wore a checked shirt and khaki pants. He never spoke to anyone - just watched them - which was unnerving enough.

The event that made the newspapers pick up on the story was that night shift workers quit their jobs because they were too scared to work there anymore. There were tired of large objects falling when no one was there, tools being moved and stacks of lumber shifted around.

Owner Victor Couch joked about it. "He's the best watchdog we ever had." But he'd seen the ghost too. It had been going on for almost the entire 10 years the company had been in the building. Then it got worse.

Production slipped on the night shift because people were afraid to work there. When workers quit, he couldn't rehire to replace them - at least not on the night shift.

Finally, Couch did away with the nightshift. He couldn't fight the workers' terror of confronting Lucas as they worked.

Is Lucas still roaming the area at night without workers to frighten with his antics? We'll probably never know. But it was one of those rare times when a ghost became news.

Eating in Thomasville:

We recommend Tommy's Barbecue. Everyone eats Lexington-style barbecue when in this area of the state. It's the wet kind with sauce as opposed to the dry kind found further down in the Piedmont. Tommy's is a local favorite - just right for someplace to go after hunting ghosts!

http://www.tripadvisor.com/Restaurant_Review-g49597-d857351-Reviews-Tommy_s_Barbecue-Thomasville_North_Carolina.html

Haunts and Eats - The Ghosts of the Outer Banks

2011-03-23T03:19:00.000-07:00

The Outer Banks are barrier islands at the far northeast shore of North Carolina. They are an old place, wrapped in secrecy for many years because of their separation from the mainland. People who have lived here have done so because they had a strong will to survive - and maybe that's why so many of them have clung to their lives - even after death.

There are many lonely places, forlorn spots that bring a sigh. It's almost as though you can feel the sadness of the island sometimes.

Ghost stories are the norm. Blackbeard the pirate still walks these haunted shores. The lighthouses that protected sailors from the Graveyard of the Atlantic, as the sea is known here, sometimes catch their insubstantial shapes.

Theodosia Burr, the daughter of Aaron Burr, died here in a stormy sea. Hundreds of others lie with her at the bottom of the cold Atlantic. They say she walks the shores looking for her dead son.

But there are many others. The ghost of an unknown woman walks forlornly around the base of the Cape Hatteras lighthouse. No one knows why she's there or who she is.

This is also a place of mystery - we may never know for certain what happened to those first settlers who vanished after writing Croatan on a tree near their abandoned settlement. Even after that, life was hard for settlers who came here. They faced storms, little food and despair.

Now their ancestors live with their shadows across the island, hiding behind 100 foot sand dunes and whispering to them in the night. Ghosts from the past are easy to find here. The problem might be getting away from them.

A great time to be at the Outer Banks!

2011-03-21T05:07:00.000-07:00

It was a great weekend at the Outer Banks! We had such a wonderful time, sold a buttload of Missing Pieces Mysteries and made a lot of new friends. Time to get back to normal but we have pictures to remind us of what we did and where we were.

Special thanks to Chris, Jamie, Illze, Kathleen, and everyone else who made it so memorable!

Next time: Haunts and Eats at the Outer Banks!

Gold Across OBX Book Tour!

2011-03-16T11:11:00.000-07:00

We are very excited to be heading for the Outer Banks tomorrow! We're packed with plenty of A Touch of Gold books and lots of pirate treasure! Arrggh! Hope to see you along the way. There will be plenty of ghost stories from the Graveyard of the Atlantic when we come back!

The Haunting of Fort Fisher - Haunts and Eats by Joyce Lavene

2011-03-09T10:45:00.000-08:00

Why is it that so many battlefields are haunted? It could be the tragic loss of life or the way that the men and women died, the violence and suddenness of their deaths. It might be a question we never have an answer for – until that fateful day WE cross over.

Whatever the reason, battlefields from every war claim their own haunts. Fort Fisher in Wilmington is no different.

Some people believe the ghostly disturbances witnessed by park personnel and visitors alike are General W, H.C. Whiting. Whiting died as a prisoner of war after the last famous Civil War battle at the fort that tried so valiantly to protect the Confederacy. His ghost, they say, still watches over what’s left of the old fort.

But there is also a ghost called ‘the sentinel’ that has been seen standing in the woods near the fort, staring out at sea. He might still be on guard against the ships that came in and pummeled the fort to pieces. The same ships that may have taken his life. People who have seen him say there is an air of loneliness and sadness about him.

No one knows for sure which men are still fighting to maintain the place they loved so much. But there are still doors that open mysteriously, the sound of horses and battle cries in the late night and early morning. Site managers and workers know them all too well as they send icy fingers down their spines when they realize that for these soldiers, the war between the states has never ended.

http://jebabb.us/images/War/Fort%20Fisher/FortFisher.htm Get a look at old Fort Fisher and some interesting history here.

Real ghost pictures around Fort Fisher: http://www.blogger.com/goog_1574473893

Haunts and Eats - Residence Inn, Landfall, Wilmington, NC

2011-03-02T11:06:00.000-08:00

I have to tell you that we weren't expecting to find our hotel to be haunted when we stayed at the Residence Inn - Landfall during the Cape Fear Crime Festival in February.

Surprise!

We stayed in Room 126. The hotel told us they had remodeled extensively. I guess they forgot to take OUT the ghosts!

It was a very nice room with a little kitchen. Everything seemed to be all right until it started getting later.

All through the evening and at night, you could hear people walking up and down in the hall but when we looked out of the peephole, there was no one there. There was muted talking too and strangely enough, the sound of piano music.

I made fun of my grandson being afraid to look out the door - until I heard it too. There was no reasonable explanation for it. And I've watched enough horror movies than to EVER open the door and ask who's there.

At about 2:30 am, we were awakened by a terrible feeling of dread that wouldn't let any of us go back to sleep. The room was freezing and it was all we could do to huddle on the bed until morning.

Okay - not great ghost hunters! We didn't even think about trying to take photos. Maybe next time.

Wilmington National Cemetery (Part 2)

2011-02-23T08:19:00.000-08:00

Take a look at this video:

http://wn.com/Wilmington_National_Cemetery

Maybe that will convince you to take a stroll through this hallowed ground!

May we suggest:
After getting a good look at the cemetery, drive further down Market Street until you reach the Cape Fear River. On the left, you'll find Riverboat Landing, a perfect place for dinner. The building dates back to 1856. You'll feel right at home.

Be sure to take advantage of one of the nine, 2-person balconies that face the river and another haunted attraction, the USS North Carolina.

The menu includes everything from seafood to mac and cheese. You can take a look at http://www.riverboatlanding.com/

Haunts and Eats: Wilmington National Cemetery

2011-02-23T07:50:00.001-08:00

If you're looking for haunted, Wilmington is the place to go. They didn't name the river Cape Fear for nothing!

Of course it helps that this was the home of pirates, scoundrels and cutthroats for many years. The riverfront is scary at night. It's easy to imagine all kinds of things down there in the fog.

Wilmington was also heavily involved in the Civil War. Its big guns and forts set along the sand tried to keep the coast for the Confederacy. Many men lost their lives here and their ghosts still walk the cobble stone streets and lonely beaches.

Known as one of the most haunted cities in the U.S., the first stop on our spook's tour was Wilmington National Cemetery. Located at 2011 Market Street, you can easily see the upright slabs of white marble beneath swaying moss and huge old oak trees from the street.

When you first enter, you may find the scenery peaceful. But there is nothing peaceful about these graves and their occupants. This is listed as one wild place when the sun goes down.

THE FLU IS AN UGLY ANIMAL BY JOYCE LAVENE

2011-02-22T11:56:00.000-08:00

This was supposed to be a blog about how great the Cape Fear Crime Festival was in Wilmington. It was also supposed to be about 2 weeks ago when I got back from the festival.

Unfortunately, I was waylaid by some flu or another and that blog was lost in everything that happened since then.

But I plan to pick up again and I have some great new Haunts and Eats that are coming!

Wilmington was fantastic! We had an awesome time. I think everyone did - or they were lying. Of course they are fiction writers and anything is possible.

Tthe first question, before the festival was even over, was "Will you do it again next year?"

All I can say is that we've renewed the domain on the website http://www.capefearcrimefestival2.com/. We'll see about the rest later.

Judy Nichols and I basically wanted to hang out with some really great writers in the old town and we accomplished that, so we're feeling successful. We're also donating profits to the New Hanover County Library. That's always a good feeling!

Of course, there were the priceless moments like when author Suzanne Adair brought out her cat'o nine tails. Missed that picture! You had to be there. And there was that author who said -

Well, you had to be there for that too, I guess. It was memorable. Sorry if you missed it.

All pictures by Eric Chappelle.

Haunts n' Eats ~ Joyce Lavene

2011-01-23T06:00:00.000-08:00

Photo by eric chappelle

Haunts n’ Eats

Midland, North Carolina

http://www.townofmidland.us/

Haunts

It’s a surprise to some people when they find a haunted site in a very small town. But let’s face it, people die everywhere. It doesn’t matter how small the town is!

Midland, NC is about 3,500 people. People have been recorded living here since the early 1800s but the town only incorporated (became a town) in 2000. It’s kind of a crossroads town that was started with a post office and a church as a result of the railroad coming through.

The people who live here have deep roots in the community. They have always been tough farmers who are used to doing without – and have been known to take justice into their own hands more than one time.

There is a penchant for hanging in this area. A sheriff once came looking for a whiskey still found a little more than he bargained for. He was found hanged from a tree when his deputies came to look for him. The town became known as Hell’s Half Acre for this and other dark deeds.

Two black teenagers were hanged here as well, supposedly for talking to a white girl.

So there have been plenty of events that could have caused a ghostly presence in this staid community. The ghost story that persists, however, is the one about the black teenager who was buried alive in a tiny cemetery. The boy was chased by the Knights of the White Camellia, a precursor of the KKK, supposedly because he raped one of their daughters.

The chances are it was consensual sex but there was no such thing between black and white in the late 1800s after the Civil War until as late as the 1950s. It would have been unusual for the boy not to be hanged, but so the story goes. Perhaps they were out of rope that dark night.

Hanging would certainly have been kinder and faster than suffocating in the orange clay. The ultra secret White Camellias were known for their swift and sure methods of ‘justice’.

It is said that on March 8, the date of the boy’s death, anyone near the cemetery on Garmon Mill Road, just after Rocky River Bridge, can still hear his muffled calls for help. There’s no way for us to know why his restless spirit remains while the others are quiet. Maybe the horror of his death keeps him tethered to this spot, going through the agonies of dying this way over and over.

What else is there?

Reed Gold Mine, where the first gold was found in the U.S., is located here as well. You can tour the spooky old mine located on Reed Mine Road. But the story about the mine being haunted by a mad miner was made up for their annual fall festival. It was a lot of fun but as far as anyone knows, the mine is not really haunted. It’s an interesting place to visit anyway.
www.nchistoricsites.org/reed/reed.htm

Where to eat?

Pizza and Beyond is good with a wide menu from pizza and pasta to ice cream. It is located on Hwy. 24/27 to the west of town. The owners are local and still work here making pizza. Good place to take the kids after they’ve been cooped up in the car too since they have a game room.
http://pizzaandbeyond.blogspot.com/

There is also a small lunch place on Cabarrus Station Road, The Cabarrus Station Grill, which is set up like an old train stop café. Not open on the weekends.
Cabarrus Station

Re-creating the Cape Fear Crime Festival By Joyce Lavene

2011-01-19T03:46:00.000-08:00

What's it like behind the scenes of two mystery writers re-creating a writer's conference with no prior experience?

Chaos - at times.

Judy Nichols (the greatest!) and I have been working on bringing the Late-Great Cape Fear Crime Festival back to life. It's a little like Frankenstein's monster rising from the slab. A lot of creaking and groaning - some electric sparks.

All in all, a good experience. Most writers have been easy to work with. There are a lot of questions you thought you already answered a few times.

The New Hanover County Library (who first created the conference) has been great about sharing everything from Gun Guy (the logo) to banners. They have given us space for the conference and not nagged us to make it just like the other CFCFs - which is good because that would have been impossible.

But it's all been for a good cause. What other mystery writer's conference has such a great name and an awesome location? Cape Fear was meant to be a mystery writer's hangout.

For those of you who won't be there, we'll miss you!
http://www.capefearcrimefestival2.com/

Things that fall from the sky!

2011-01-05T06:44:00.000-08:00

Birds and fish, like the thousands that died in Arkansas recently, aren't unusual at all. From biblical times, there have been accounts of frogs, fish, birds and other non-living items falling from the sky for no apparent reason.

But that's the problem, I guess. No one really understands why it happens and we don't like things we can't explain!

http://www.prairieghosts.com/falls_sky.html

SNOW!

2010-12-18T13:04:00.000-08:00

It wasn't much-just a light dusting-but it was a very nice holiday gift from Mother Nature!

Why aren't we living our dreams?

2010-12-15T04:03:00.000-08:00

The good news is that with every dream comes the time and the ability to fulfill it. The bad news? Many people use that time and ability doing something else.- something that has little or nothing to do with their dream. What's keeping us from fulfilling our heart's desire? Why aren't we living our dreams? ~ John Roger

BOOKMAS: DAY 8

2010-12-10T11:16:00.000-08:00

Last day this week to participate in Bookmas and win prizes!

The clue for today is in this line: "I never writ"

And here is where you find the contest:
http://www.bookends-inc.com/

WORLD'S BIGGEST LIES - 4G SPEEDS? Probably not.

2010-12-08T11:49:00.000-08:00

It shouldn't surprise anyone that a fiction writer would admire the fine art of lying - or for that matter hate it when people can't lie well. To that point, I've decided to write about some great big whoppers - some that have been caught and some that haven't.

Here's today's lie:
http://gizmodo.com/5680755/the-dirty-secret-of-todays-4g-its-not-4g

Visit here from time to time. I might start giving prizes for the really good lies.

Check my Facebook page (you might be on it if you're reading this) to be part of the 12 Days of Bookmas and win a free book. Or just go here:

http://www.bookends-inc.com/

BOOKMAS CONTINUES!

2010-12-03T17:46:00.000-08:00

Bookmas continues on Monday. Check back for more clues to win books.

Second Day of Bookmas Contest!!

2010-12-02T13:15:00.000-08:00

If you didn't win the contest yet - here's another clue:

On the second day of Bookmas, my true love gave to me - something southerners like to drink out of and hate to cross.

Twelve Days of Christmas (THE CONTEST)

2010-11-30T11:30:00.000-08:00

Though the twelve days of Christmas are usually AFTER Christmas, in this case, the contest is before. We'll be posting clues each day to help you win. Here's the link:

http://bookendslitagency.blogspot.com/

Good Thoughts

2010-11-15T12:00:00.001-08:00

Every good thought you think is contributing its share to the rest of your life.
~ Grenville Kleiser

Rivers

2010-11-10T11:20:00.000-08:00

Rivers hardly ever run in a straight line.

Rivers are willing to take ten thousand meanders and enjoy every one of them, grow from every one.

When rivers leave a meander they are always bigger than when they entered it.

When rivers meet an obstacle, they do not try to run over it - they merely go around but they always get to the other side.

Rivers accept things as they are. They conform to the shape they find the world in.
Rivers move mountains into the sea.

Rivers are hardly ever in a hurry, yet is there anything more likely to reach the point it sets out for than a river?

~ James Dillet Freeman

Become strong

2010-11-08T15:24:00.001-08:00

Decide what you want to become strong in and become stronger by doing it.

Grace

2010-11-07T15:01:00.000-08:00

The winds of grace are blowing all the time - you have only to train your sails.

Persistence

2010-11-05T11:12:00.000-07:00

There is nothing in the world that can take the place of persistence,
Talent will not - nothing is more common than unsuccessful men of talent.
Genius will not - unrewarded genius is almost a proverb.
Education will not - the world is full of educated derelicts.
Peristence and determination alone are omnipotent.

~ Calvin Coolidge (or at least his talented speech writer)

Fortune

2010-11-04T10:33:00.000-07:00

Fortune favors those who choose to see it coming. Prosperity belongs to those who work to bring it to life.

Ralph Marston

Hustling

2010-11-03T11:08:00.000-07:00

"Everything comes to him who hustles while he waits."
-Thomas Alva Edison (1847-1931)

Hold On

2010-11-02T13:31:00.000-07:00

Success seems to be largely a matter of hanging on after others have let go.

~ William Feather - Publisher and writer

2010-08-25T03:26:00.000-07:00

WRITING ABOUT WHAT YOU DON'T LIKE!

While the advice everyone gives you is to write what you know - presumably what you like - there isn't much advice about writing what you don't like.

There are many times when writers have to write whole books on subjects they don't like. It ranks right up there with synopsis writing.

Why would anyone do this?

One reason - a good friend of mine just got a big break with a major publisher to write three novels. But the subject of these novels wasn't her choice. The editors liked her style but not her choice of topic and offered her an alternative. This happens more times than we like to think about.

Did she do it?

Yes, she's struggling through it right now. She's had to do a lot of research and she's gritting her teeth because the subject is one she's passionately against. But it's a great opportunity and she's waited a long time to get published.

Every novelist should have to be a newspaper reporter. Reporters have to write stories all the time that they don't like. They aren't so picky. Reporters have to meet deadlines every day. They can't wait to be inspired or for when they feel like writing.

It's not always easy to be a professional writer - author. It really is a job, a career, not a dream or a thing so easily picked up and put down. Most writers struggle for their spot on the ladder - no matter how high or low.

And sometimes we write things we don't want to write but many times, these opportunities turn into things we DO want to write. And that's a great day!

Joyce Lavene
Deadly Daggers
September 7
from Berkley

Ebooks

2010-08-08T16:48:00.000-07:00

There's been a lot of talk about ebooks this week. Of course, that's because Dorchester, a reputable publisher, decided to forsake the standard publishing format and make all of its books ebooks or POD.

Before we go any further, neither one of these formats means they are self published books. Dorchester will still edit these books and create covers for them. They will still market them because they still want to make money. Ebooks are just books in electronic format that can be read on an ebook reader or your computer. POD is just printing books when people buy them.

Writers will still make money on these books. Usually royalties are even higher than you would get with a mass market paperback. There is some question of advances and a whole host of other problems. But in time, these will be worked out too.

How can I sound so confident? Because the same thing happened when mass market came out. Authors were sure it was the end of the world because no one would buy hardbacks and they wouldn't make any money. Guess what? There are still hardback books! Amazing huh?

Same thing with home video. The movie industry groaned and said no one would ever go to the theater again. Surprise!

I'm not really poking fun at authors who are depressed and upset because they think their livelihood is being taken away. Writing for a living is a scary business at best. Any upset makes it even scarier.

My first ebook was published in 1999 and nominated for the Franklin Book Award. It didn't win but it was wonderful just to be nominated. That was when the big name authors got scared. There were too many books coming out too quickly. They threw ebooks out and wouldn't let authors who wrote them join their clubs (MWA, RWA, etc.)Now they look to be in the same boat.

No one knows for sure what will happen here. These are bold new waters we are swimming in. But people still love to read and writers still write. I believe we'll all find a way to do what we want to do and make money. And maybe we can even be friendlier and not feel like any of us is better than any of the rest of us because of the formats we write in.

Joyce Lavene
Deadly Daggers
September 7
Berkley Books

Witching Water

2010-08-01T14:13:00.001-07:00

I spent some time with a woman who does water witching for a living. Dowsing, as it is called, has become very popular again as the cost of well drilling has soared. This lady is in demand. She has saved dozens of people money on drilling their wells by finding the best spots.

We talked while she held her divining wand. She told me it was passed down from her grandmother to her mother and finally to her. It was a smooth, well worn willow branch that had a fork in one end.

There was no particular reason for the wood to be willow, she said. Oak or any other supple wood would work too. She held the rod in front of her and began walking slowly and carefully along the ground with her eyes closed while the well drillers watched. The rod bent almost in half when she came to the best place for the well.

One of the well drillers tried it and the rod didn't do anything. There were some good natured wise cracks about how she'd done it. But when they began to drill, they found water in under 50 feet! Most of the wells they drill in this area are at least 200 feet deep.

I asked the woman if she knew what caused her ability to find water. She told me her grandmother said that some people are more sensitive to water. Her grandfather had a sensitivity to metals and could easily find gold in streams and underground the same way.

This lady is a school teacher in her day to day life. She only witches water to help people and never charges money. She believes her gift is meant to help and shouldn't cost anything. She does what she does because her gift is needed.

The old ways are many times still the best ways, even when we don't understand why they happen.

Joyce Lavene
Deadly Daggers
from Berkley - September 7

Take your breath away!

2010-07-25T13:26:00.000-07:00

For a writer, almost nothing is more exciting than finishing something you're working on! When you can get all the little threads to come together and you've gathered all the glittering ideas, that's when the magic happens.

Many times you stumble, stub your toe, destroy an idea, cry and scream in frustration along the way. But you keep going, keep following the yellow brick road. You sleep less, forget to eat and stare at nothing for longer than is comfortable for many of your friends and family. But in the end, the story tells itself, spins out of you like gossamer web - the kind dreams are made of.

If you're very lucky, there are people waiting to read it. If not, it's only you. But I recall many times crying when the story was over and I was alone. Because inside, you're never really alone. There is always another tale to tell, another character who needs you.

I'm very lucky to share that birthing experience with my partner/husband, Jim, who is there for the champagne and the tears. Together, we make magic!

Welcome Harrowing Hats, Jessie Morton's new tale of life and mystery in Renaissance Faire Village. Can't wait to see your new cover!

Harrowing Hats
September 2011

Pirates!

2010-07-21T04:43:00.001-07:00

A friend remarked recently that I seem to like pirates a lot.

There are pirates in both our mystery series right now - Missing Pieces and Renaissance Faire. Of course, there are very good reasons for pirates to be in those books.

Missing Pieces is set in the Outer Banks of North Carolina where pirate lore is important. And pirates at the Renaissance Faire are all part of the fun.

I have a certain fondness for pirates. I don't know what it is. Maybe because they lived their lives the way they wanted to. Maybe I just like the costumes and slang. I'm sure I wouldn't have really liked pirates, if I'd met one. They did terrible things. And I could only do pirate talk on Facebook for about a week.

But like Captain Jack Sparrow said, we all have a little pirate in us. There is something about skirting the law that we like in this country. Otherwise I think we would have made a new tax system years ago! It was the same attraction that people felt for Bonnie and Clyde, Hannibal Lecter, and Dexter. We may be repulsed by some of the things they do, but we basically feel a kinship with them.

Why do I write about pirates where and when I can? I don't really know for sure. I guess I'm just lucky to be able to indulge my pirate imagination.

Deadly Daggers
September 7
from Berkley

Characters

2010-07-11T16:50:00.000-07:00

Readers often ask where characters come from. Are they people we (writers) know? Do we model them after friends, family members, people we work with?

I don't really know about anyone else, but my characters seem to live in my head. They spring to life, like Athena, fully clothed and ready to go. They are funny or serious, easy to get along with or cantankerous. They are killers or heroines, heroes and sidekicks.

Usually, they are composites of many people I've seen or talked with. I never really know when they will find their story. They live with me, sometimes like unwanted relatives, waiting for their opportunity.

But that's part of the fun of writing. Finding these special people, like adventuresome Jessie in the Ren Faire novels, Peggy Lee who loves plants and Dae O'Donnell who loves her home and the people there like they are all her family. Finding things they want to do, mysteries to solve, is ice cream on the cake!

Writing is hard work - but it has its fun side too. Characters are part of that.

Gone to the beach

2010-07-07T06:18:00.000-07:00

Gone to the beach

There's something about the beach, even Myrtle Beach, that brings out the philosopher in most people. Maybe it's staring out at that distant horizon. Maybe it's realizing how many people have stood right where you are and seen the same thing.

I say Myrtle Beach in what seems to be a deragatory sense but I really love the place. Where else can you stay at a hotel wth a water park that's open until midnight? Twenty stories up, the ocean and sand take on a unique perspective - especially when the helicopters and advertising planes turn around very near your balcony.

But no matter the glitz and the gimmicks, you get a feeling of peace and distance from all the things that plague you. You've let all of it behind (if you're smart) and you can look at it with equanamity. In the long run, most things in life are like the most elaborate sand castle in the world. The surf still pounds it down each night. The next morning, the sand is fresh again.

I've always loved Anne Morrow Lindbergh's book - Gift from the Sea - though I can't imagine spending so much time alone at the beach. Her words always come back to me when I stand outside on the beach at night - even if I'm dodging fireworks:
Patience is what the sea teaches. Patience and faith. One should lie empty, open, choiceless as a beach - waiting for a gift from the sea.

Gov. Bev Perdue takes a stand on animal cruelty

2010-06-24T08:52:00.000-07:00

North Carolina Gov. Bev Perdue signed Susie's Law into effect yesterday. This gives some teeth to people fighting against animal cruelty here. Now a conviction for animal cruelty can mean jail time for offenders. It actually makes animal abuse a Class H felony.

The law is named for a pit bull puppy that was badly beaten, burned and left to die last year. Susie survived and inspired people across the state to push for better laws to prevent and punish people who do this kind of thing to animals.

Of course, the law is only as good as judges and juries will allow it to be. If they won't convict people who maim and kill animals, it won't do much good.

The man convicted of hurting Susie received probation for his crime. He's in jail now for another offense. Gee, it's almost like this kind of intentional cruelty to animals goes hand in hand with what you do to people! DUH!

I have had several animals that were abused before I got them. It's a terrible thing to see a puppy that is almost dead because of what a human being did to it. No one should be allowed to hurt another living thing this way.

Earlier this year, I was involved in trying to save 21 horses in our area that were allowed to starve to death over several months. There was very little I could do. Only one of the horses were saved. No one - not law enforcement, the Humane Society or local animal groups would lift a finger to help them.

I might add that the man responsible for that crime is also in jail now as well - on a different offense!

For generations, people were allowed to treat children this way. Then laws were passed to protect them, the ones who can't protect themselves.

Will new laws protecting animals do what's needed? Only time will tell.

Smooth sailing

2010-06-23T03:30:00.001-07:00

We just finished the rough draft of Harrowing Hats, book #4 in the Renaissance Faire Mysteries. It was hard - sometimes felt impossible - but it's done. I feel like I just ran a marathon!

There is a great deal of satisfaction when this part of the book is over - for me at least. I like telling the story. Getting it out of my head to make room for the next one struggling to get out. It gives me a sense of peace and accomplishment, at least for a while.

It also gives me a chance to look around and see everything that's been neglected while we've been writing. Dust builds up very quickly when you ignore it. And since it'summer, there are piles of kids' bathing suits and towels everywhere.

But that's okay. The book is done now and this time there is about a week and a half of smooth sailing since we're going to the beach with our family before we start revisions.

I'm even going to read a book or two from my huge TBR stack. Ah! Life is good!

Lynette Hall Hampton - guest blogger

2010-06-14T12:10:00.000-07:00

Electronic Publishing and Me

By Lynette Hall Hampton

At dinner last night, my fourteen year old grandson made the remark that he didn’t think there would be printed books in fifty years. I cringed and told him that I hoped he was wrong.

I know the electronic form of publishing is growing and there are publishing companies springing up all over the country. Some of them put out books in both electronic and printed form, but many are strictly the electronic format.

At first I resisted this form of publishing and would only submit my manuscripts to a publisher who printed books on paper and not electronically. But like many things I’ve caved in to over the years – going from typewriter to computer being one – I gave in to this, too.

My book Stetson Mold came out this year in trade paperback and eBook format from Wings Press. It is the first experience I’ve had with the eBook format and I’m still not sure how it works. I’m always quick to tell people that the book is available in both formats and let them decide which type of book they want.

I’ve even had people show me their book reader and say how much they love it. I’m happy for them if that is the way they want to read books. (I just hope they buy mine.) Though I think the invention is nice, I don’t think I’m ready to run out and buy one yet.
I’m not saying that I’ll never own an electronic book reader, but for now I think I’ll stick to the printed page.

Call me old fashioned, but I still like to hold a book in my hand and feel the pages flip and see the words on paper.

Doug Walker of Twysted Tayles and Ghosts!

2010-06-11T18:41:00.000-07:00

Today I'm talking to Doug Walker of Kanapolis, NC. Doug is a mystey/paranormal writer who has one novel out and has a collection of short stories called Tywsted Tayles coming out this summer. Doug is also a ghost hunter and has gone out with a local group to look for ghosts. He is a member of the Carolina Conspiracy, a group of NC and SC mystery writers.

Thanks for being here, Doug! Tell us about yourself, your work, and your ghost hunting.

Thanks, Joyce! Great questions!

Tell us about yourself:
I was born and raised in Southeast Kansas. My mom and her identical twin sister are still alive and kicking at age 97 in the same nursing home. I have 3 children: Chris (30), Kathi (28) and Holly (26). Boy do I feel old! LOL.

Tell us about your first book.

My first book, Scaffold (Publish America), came out in August 2009. It is a mystery set in Charlotte in the world of Pro Wrestling. My 3rd book, The Lesser Dead, will have some of the same characters from Scaffold, and will be about the search for a serial killer of illegal aliens in Kannapolis, NC. Wendy (my wife) and I have also talked about writing a series of ghost hunting books for a teenage and college age audience.

And Twysted Tayles?

My 2nd book, Twysted Tayles, (Publish America) is a collection of my short stories. I call them "a combination Stephen King meets the Twilight Zone." They are 11 stories whose endings I guarantee the reader will never see coming.

Tell us about one of the paranormal stories.

The first story, "The Dance", has paranormal activity. The main character is an alcoholic janitor who is working a high school dance on Chritsmas Eve during a huge snowstorm. After blacking out, he has a close encounter with the spirit world. Is it his alcoholic stupor, or real ghosts?

I've been writing short stories off and on for about 30 years. The only one that I had previously written, "Hell No! We Won't Go," was submitted to Twilight Zone for a contest. It is about the real reason why Nixon decided to get us out of Vietnam. The magazine decided not to accept it because it was not what they were lookig for. This will be the first time any of my stories have been in print.

What about your ghost hunting activities? See any ghosts yet?

My wife, Wendy, and I joined CAPS (Charlotte Area Paranormal Society) in Sept 2009. This is a local group who goes to "allegedly haunted" locations in NC and SC. The only investigation we have taken part in was at the Lincoln Academy ruins in Kings Mountain, NC. A young woman was kidnapped in Atlanta by 2 men, and forced to drive them to the location of Lincoln Academy. There they tied her to a tree, raped and murdered her. Her burning car was found later near the site. Rumor has it that the area is haunted by her spirit.

Wendy didn't have any experiences, but there were several spikes on the K2 meter near the tree where she was murdered. I saw shadow people near the tree also. Someone else saw an orb of light rise up behind me, and then streak into the sky. At one point we were standing in a circle talking. I looked up and saw a man standing a little ways behind the group. When I looked again, the figure was gone. All of us were accounted for, and there was no one standing there.

Thanks for sharing your work and life with us, Doug! Good luck with the new book - and the ghost hunting!

Going to a town council meeting

2010-06-08T15:16:00.000-07:00

I regularly go to six town council meetings every month. It's part of my job working for the local paper. I figure it must be my comeuppance for all the fun things I get to do.

What amazes me is that anyone else ever goes to a town council meeting. They are long, drawn out melodramas in most cases. When the time is over, most people can't figure out what happened. That's why they hire me to regurgitate what was said - so other people know what happened who read the paper.

But there are always a few hardy souls who come for meetings with nothing more than an interest in their towns - no agenda. Admittedly not many. They come just to have any idea what's going on, listen to the players (council members)and keep score. They love their town, sometimes, or they don't like TV. I'm not really sure what motivates them.

So tonight, while most people are coming home from work, eating dinner and doing whatever people do in the evening, I'll be attending a town hall meeting and looking for the way to make it interesting to readers. It's like looking for gold through a pile of gravel most of the time.

Wish me luck!

The twisted paths we follow

2010-06-06T14:43:00.001-07:00

These twisted trees we took a picture of along the North Carolina coast always remind me of the twisted paths we follow as writers. No matter how hard you try to see the whole plot through from start to finish at the beginning, it's a good bet it won't follow the straight line you've created for it.

Characters tend to be the same way. Despite the fact that they should be firmly in hand, they take sudden spurts of inspiration and find jagged edges to their personalities that you didn't know were there.

I heard a very famous writer say once that we own these people and they do what we tell them to do. For most writers, that's about as accurate as saying you aren't going to eat another ice cream sundae, chocolate chip cookie or potato chip in your whole life.

Jim and I write long pages about these people before we head to the computer, but inevitably, they change. I've tried to stop it, but I can't hold back the tide of their creation. Like our children, the characters and plots of our books sometimes go in directions that surprise us.

And that's okay - as long as they still reach a conclusion you, and your publisher, can live with.

Using people you know in books

2010-06-04T18:26:00.000-07:00

People pay big bucks to get themselves into fiction novels. They enter raffles, email authors and find other ways to see themselves as a character in a book.

Still other people have sued authors for the characters they thought they were in books. Reputations can be lost. Friends never forgiven. We are never really sure what we might look like through another person's eyes - or computer.

Jim and I have put real people in our books, usually because they have asked us to. Although there have been times when the people were real but we changed their names.

In A Timely Vision, we put our sturdy, friendly town clerk right where she belonged - as the town clerk in Duck. She is a lot like we see her every day but with a few changes, thinking about the things she hides that we know are there.

Our local history museum director popped up in A Corpse for Yew. He was disappointed that he wasn't the killer but he enjoyed seeing himself in the story.

Using people you know and that you have relationships with can be tricky. You have to be sure they have a good sense of humor and won't be offended by the way we see them. Of course, you never know for sure - until you write them!

AND BTW - that is our good friend, Gene of Gene's BBQ in Midland who let us put him and his food into Swapping Paint. Thanks, Gene!

A travel blog for restless spirits

2010-05-29T14:58:00.000-07:00

Where do you go when you want to research the real paranormal for a mystery or romance? The best thing to do is go to the experts - the real people out there who are actively involved with paranormal. Whether or not you believe is unimportant (for those of you who don't) but talking to the experts on any subject always helps us write better fiction!

Courtney Mroch is the author of Haunt Jaunts, a paranormal journal. I've learned a lot from her and I think you will too!

Welcome to The romance of Mystery, Courtney! How did you get started with Haunt Jaunts?

It was my “get off the couch” recovery project as I went through cancer treatments. I’d had the idea for years, but I’d always envisioned it as a book (Haunt Jaunts: A Travel Guide for Restless Spirits). Then, about two years before I got cancer, I decided, “Why do a book? Use the Internet and make it a site!”

But between procrastinating and then having to care for my mom when she got cancer and doctors said her dementia had progressed to a point she couldn’t live alone anymore, I never pursued it.

Then right after my mom died I got sick myself. (It was a rough couple of years in a row.) Five months later I was finally diagnosed with cancer too. But I knew having a goal to live for would help me. So I stopped procrastinating and started Haunt Jaunts.

What's the most interesting jaunt you've done?

Ooof, that’s a hard one. St. Augustine comes to mind first. I’d never even heard of it before we moved to Jacksonville, FL in 1999. First time we went down we just drove through to check it out. We drove past the fort and I said, “Here there be ghosts.”

It was such a weird feeling. Not creepy exactly, just powerful. Unlike anything I’d ever experienced before. I could feel the history even before I learned just how much the city had. And then later I had an experience in Harry’s. (Which I discuss in response to another of your questions.)

St. Simons Island in Georgia also struck me the same way as St. Augustine. But Charleston also begs to be mentioned because of how my husband reacted there. I was smitten with the history and architecture and was excited to learn about its haunts when we got there, but my husband acted like he had come home. He’d never been there before, hadn’t even really done more than glance at a map to get a lay of the land, but he knew his way around the town as if he’d been born and raised there. It was crazy. He couldn’t explain it, but he felt instantly comfortable there.

Where is your dream jaunt (somewhere you haven't been) and why?

Even when I’m not being interviewed I get this question and I think I have yet to answer it the same. My answer always changes because there are so many places I’d love to go. At the moment, however, Poveglia tops my list. Partly because I’d also get to visit Venice if I went there and that’s somewhere else I’d love to see.

Was there an experience that made you believe in the paranormal?

Over the years I’ve had several. It was a couple all about the same time, though, that really got me interested in the paranormal –and haunt jaunting. (My husband’s term for the weekend excursions in search of haunted places I sucker him into.)

The first was an encounter I had on a work trip in 1998. I was staying at the Shilo Inn in Salt Lake City. One night I was awoken by giggling and had the oddest sense there were children hiding in the drawers. Which was completely ludicrous, but I couldn’t shake the feeling so I got up to check. Drawers were empty but as I went to pay a quick trip to the loo…wham! Something flew at my head. I ducked, but when I looked around…nothing. Everything was in place. I got back home and learned from someone who used to live in Salt Lake City that a lady had killed herself and her seven children at that hotel. Creeped me out!

Then, not too long after that, I had an experience in the bathroom of Harry’s restaurant in St. Augustine, Florida. I later learned from a ghost book that the bathroom had a rep for being haunted. After that I started going in search of more experiences. Haven’t had any as powerful as those two, though. Yet…

What do you do when you aren't working on Haunt Jaunts?

Hmm, seems like I’m always plotting and planning my next haunt jaunt, but of course I’m not. I also have my Sociable Scribe duties. (I’m a Social Media Consultant, a.k.a. blogger-for-hire.) I’m not as dedicated to my fiction writing as I once was, but once in a while I get a wild hair and write short stories or pay attention to one of my many books in progress. I’m nuts for volleyball and play on a couple of adult leagues and find pick-up games when I can. I’ve recently taken up tennis, too.

Then there are my fur kids: Mr. Meow, Tabby and Murphy. I devote a lot of time to them. When we’re not playing with their many toys, the cats love to be loved on. Murph can’t get enough of our bunny hunting expeditions. (A fancy name for his walks, which we take every day –sometimes multiple times a day.) I also devote a lot of attention to my husband. In addition to being my haunt jaunting partner in crime and the love of my life, he also enjoys my cooking. He’s always got some kind of request for me so I spend a lot of time on grocery shopping and food prep. Because I’m living proof the way to a man’s heart is through his stomach! (At least my man’s heart.)

Thanks, Courtney! If anyone would like to look at Courtney's work, you can find her at:

http://www.courtneymroch.com
Haunt Jaunts
"A travel blog for restless spirits ~ Your passport to paranormal tourism"
http://hauntjaunts.net/blog/
The Sociable Scribe
"Advice and assistance navigating today's top social media circles"
http://thesociablescribe.com/

Are Mystery Writers Obsessed with Death?

2010-05-27T13:52:00.000-07:00

As we've gone around promoting A Timely Vision this month, we've been asked a lot of questions about the book and its characters. That's normal. We enjoy talking about Dae and her hometown of Duck, NC.

But last week, a reporter asked if we are obsessed with death. When I asked what she meant, she said that she thought mystery writers (especially murder mystery writers) must be obsessed with death and dying. "How else could you stand to think of writing about it all the time?

Hmm . . . interesting question.

I don't feel obsessed with death and dying but I suppose I think about it more than the ordinary, non-mystery writing person.

This was also brought to my attention recently when I told a friend that the azalea she wanted to put into her house was deadly poison. She said I only know that because I killed someone with it in a book.

Maybe mystery writers do know a little more about death and dying, at least as it pertains to our work, but I don't think we're obsessed with it.

The Missing Pieces Mysteries, Ren Faire Mysteries and all the others we've written aren't so much about death to me but about how the characters use their talents to figure out what's going on and save lives, sometimes their own.

The fact that I have to know how to kill someone in a clever way to begin with is just lagniappe

Mystery in the Mountains

2010-05-24T13:35:00.000-07:00

Who is the screaming ghost of Cooper Hall? Is ETSU the most haunted campus in the U.S.?

We've visited the campus of East Tennessee State University (ETSU) many times but this is the first time we've heard about the many ghosts there. It sounds like there is at least one ghost in every building on campus!

The university was founded in 1911 and its first president, John Gilbreath, was said to be very tough, especially on the ladies. Many of them are rumored to have committed suicide while they were there and never left after their deaths.

But Gilbreath is said to be there too, still enforcing his rigid codes.

The screaming ghost of Cooper Hall is well known to many present and former students. This lady is said to be the daughter of a wealthy businessman.The young lady was in love with the wrong person and her parents wouldn't let them marry. She is said to have taken a deadly dose of rat poison to end her torture, but it still seems to continue. The students call her Alice.

The mountains are full of lore, legend and mystery so it isn't surprising that this lovely school would be haunted. We didn't hear or see anything whole we were there last weekend, but there are a lot of people who swear they have.

Join us at Haunt Jaunts!

2010-05-21T03:39:00.000-07:00

HAUNT JAUNTS

a travel blog for restless spirits ~ providing a passport to paranormal tourism for ghost enthusiasts since 2009

Interview with Haunt Jaunts!

http://hauntjaunts.net/blog/2010/05/20/filling-in-the-missing-pieces-about-haunted-duck-nc-with-joyce-and-jim-lavene/

North Carolina Mystery Writers

2010-05-20T14:29:00.001-07:00

Are there more mystery writers in North Carolina than in any other state?

I'm not sure. But when you attend any mystery writer's conference or look at mystery novels in the store, you'll notice there are plenty of writers from N.C. who kill for a living.

Is this because our state started with the Lost Colony mystery? Or because we have a river that flows backwards? Or maybe because of the tiny, perfect fairy crosses that form in the mountains? There are definitely mysteries here that have never been explained.

We'll probably never know for sure, but there are a lot of us around. You never know when you might meet one but it's a good bet that if you see someone walking around, mumbling to themselves about what kind of poison is best or whether to shoot or stab someone, you've seen a mystery writer.

Here is a starting list to get you going. It's only a small list so don't blame me if your favorite isn't here. There are just too many mystery writers living here to list all at one time!

Elizabeth Spann Craig

Margaret Maron

Daniel Bailey

Lynette Hall Hampton

Tom Rieber

Vicki Lane

Greg Funaro

Ellen E. Hunter

Maggie Bishop

Lilian Jackson Braun

Orson Scott Card

Elizabeth Daniels Squires

Lisa Cantrell

Doug Walker

Kathy Delaney

Duck IS a real place

2010-05-19T10:56:00.000-07:00

While we've written stories about places that aren't real, Duck, North Carolina exists! This has turned out to be one of the most asked questions since A Timely Vision came out this month.

Thousands of people know what I'm talking about because they've vacationed there. That's how we came to know Duck and the Outer Banks. It's a wonderful place to spend the summer, full of pirate lore and huge dunes at Kitty Hawk. You can visit the lighthouses and spend time at the beach.

Our first mystery series, the Sharyn Howard Mysteries, was set in a real place but we were afraid the people of Badin, NC wouldn't be happy if we killed two people every year in their little town. So we called it Diamond Springs, after the little town outside the Great Dismal Swamp in eastern NC. The town itself disappeared years ago, almost overnight (a mystery!) but there is still a road sign post that shows the way to that area.

When we set our books in real places, we always include at least some of the spots you can visit while you're there. After you read A TIMELY VISION, take a look around and you'll see which of those places we talk about are real too!

But Charlotte (where the Peggy Lee Garden Mysteries are set) and Myrtle Beach (where the Ren Faire Mysteries are set) are REAL places, like Duck!

Supernatural writing

2010-05-17T18:49:00.000-07:00

I've watched Supernatural since it first came on five years ago. I'm a big fan of the writers who have managed to keep this show fresh and vibrant. It can't be easy since so many other shows lose it much faster.

Like any series, it's easy to slip - forget where you are and who your characters are supposed to be. But this show has never missed a beat.

I admit that I was worried when I heard there were going to be angels on the show. Would it get sappy? Would it fall into the same good VS evil that other paranormal shows have fallen into?

But no! The writers pulled it off with evil, manipulating angels and at least quasi-good demons. It can't be easy for them but they did it.

When I see movies and TV shows, I always see the brilliance - or lack of - the writers behind those pretty faces and awesome sets. Being a writer probably makes me praise and blame them more. It's always great to see writers who can really pull it together!

Now we'll see what happens with Season 6!

The Journey

2010-05-16T15:54:00.001-07:00

The journey starts here with a road ahead of us and a question that takes us up and down that road until we find the answer.

I think I write to find those answers and I encounter mysteries on the way. This is the romance of mystery for me. The fun of finding people and places that make me think.

And writing about them, of course, and taking pictures and trying to figure out why these things have meaning for me.