Aunt Madge and the Civil Election Wishes You a Good Day

By Elaine L. Orr

In 2020, I wrote a 17,000 word story about elections in the fictional Ocean Alley, New Jersey. As you can tell from the title, it was a friendly election and a good example of how to talk about issues. Plus, I had a fun time writing it. 

In honor of the 2024 election in the United States, I'm offering the book free for a couple of weeks. 

Keep calm and carry on.

Google https://bit.ly/3UoZJJ7

Amazon https://bit.ly/4fhVqan

ibooks https://bit.ly/3YnrKSe

BN https://bit.ly/3YcEPOc

Google https://bit.ly/3UoZJJ7

Enjoy!

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Senior Shenanigans Coming Up

By Elaine L. Orr

 In July, I asked readers if they would read a book with a senior sleuth. The blog post on the topic didn't engender much conversation, but a request to my mailing list drew some interest. The response was the universal one -- if it's a good story, we'll read it.

So, I kept writing. The co-protagonists (if that's a word) are Mayor Madge and George of the Jolie Gentil series. The premise is that the Aunt Madge and Harry's Cozy Corner B&B could host small tour groups of seniors who get into...interesting predicaments.

The books will likely be closer to novella length, though I've long since learned that stories go where they will. The first book is "Fired Up and Feisty." Ocean Alley High School's annual reunion weekend celebrates classes with five-year anniversaries, and always has a group of 'Golden Grads,' individuals who graduated more than forty years ago.

A fire at the Beachcomber's Alley Hotel puts its guests on the street, and local police ask Madge and Harry to bring the most senior members ti the the B&B. Problem is, one of them can't be found. 

Here are the opening paragraphs, in Madge and Harry's bedroom.

WHEN THE FIRE TRUCKS raced by the Cozy Corner Bed and Breakfast, Madge Richards had just shut her book and turned off the lamp by her side of the bed. Usually, she would drown out sounds by turning up the volume on her white noise machine, but she couldn’t ignore four or five trucks roaring by.

She nudged Harry’s shoulder. “Hey husband. Do you hear those sirens?”

He grunted. “I do now.”

They each raised on an elbow. “Can’t be good,” she said.

Harry put his head back on his pillow. “Sounds like something Mayor Madge should investigate.”

“Maybe her husband could drive her to the fire, in case there’s no place to park. You don’t have to stay.”

He sat up. “How many times have I heard that line when we head out to a parade or barbecue?”

She swung her feet to the cold floor and found her slippers. “You like the barbeques.”

And the morning after the Golden Grads arrive at the B&B:

MADGE AWOKE TO a rhythmic rumble under the bed and clicking dog collars as Mister Rogers and Miss Piggy turned in rapid circles. She opened her eyes more widely. “Is that an earthquake?:

They sat up and Harry swung his feet over his side of the bed. “Could be. We should…”

A loud voice said, “You have to stomp in rhythm!”

Madge threw back the quilt. “Good God. It’s five-forty-five. People are sleeping.”

Harry thrust his feet into slippers. “You have got to be kidding me!”

The same man’s voice called, “Five, six, seven eight. Shake your touche to find a mate.”

A woman yelled, “Cut it out, Harvey.”

As Madge and Harry lunged toward the bedroom door to get to the kitchen, footsteps thundered down the main staircase and a man, maybe Grayson Redford, shouted, “Don’t you idiots know what time it is?”

Where to Go from Here?

I've written 10,000 words. While I'm not struggling, I keep thinking I need to make everything funny. I have a quick wit for situational humor, but I need to stop worrying about the humor and tell the tale. Some humor will flow naturally, other comedic situations will grow with the story.

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The Value of "Getting Out There"

By Elaine L. Orr

Because of the pandemic and a couple of health "issues," I haven't been with readers as much as in the past. I've gotten a real charge out of two events in the last couple of weeks, with more on the horizon.

The first was a flea market for crafters and antique and collectible sellers at the Illinois State Fairgrounds. They said crafters, so I pitched books, and they said I could participate. I mostly wanted to meet a cross-section of folks beyond those who go to libraries and bookstores. I had a blast, and actually sold some books. 

Browsers included lots of children, which always makes me wish I would work harder on a couple of books for middle school kids. And not simply because everyone stops to talk to the children's book authors. 

This past weekend (October 26th) was the first author festival at the Springfield Barnes and Noble in several years. Sixteen authors sat in a U-shaped format, which made for a lot of interaction among authors and browsers.

I sat between a man whose fiction is based in part on his Vietnam era service and a group of poets. The best part of bookstore signings is the diversity. Second only to the fun.

As I looked for the photo at left, it reminded me of other Barnes and Noble events in Iowa and Indiana. 

In 2006, the Barnes and Noble in the Iowa City and Coralville area let me do a sole signing for one of my earliest books. My friend, the oft-published Leigh Michaels, and I sat together for a few hours and spoke to a number of people. I don't think I broke their sales records for the day, but it was a great experience. I look about twenty-five in the photo! Good camera angle.

When I lived in Indiana, the Barnes and Noble store in the Keystone Mall (near Indianapolis) was fantastic about working with authors. My Sisters in Crime Chapter often met there, and they regularly did signings in which a bunch of us would participate. 

It's a reminder of how much difference bookstores make in helping writers meet readers -- and advance their careers. Plus, we had a lot of fun, as you can see in the photo with another Indiana author, below. This would have been about 2011 or 2012, I think.

In a few weeks I'll do the annual ALUUC holiday arts and craft sale in Springfield, Illinois. It's so much more than that -- musicians, good food, and good company. I'll likely be the only bookseller again, and people tend to stop to talk for a few minutes. Mostly they ask where I get ideas, and I confess to having a mind that is part warped and  part hyperactive. 

I love independent bookstores, but for the first time in my life I don't live in a town that has one. I miss the sense of close-knit community that these smaller stores engender. Whether it's a large or small store, authors and readers make connections over books.

As holidays seasons grow closer, don't forget to give books to people in your life. I like to give books that have as the setting or context something the receiver is interested in, be it a hobby, vacation spot, or career interest. You can't go wrong with books.

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Meeting People Where They Are

 By Elaine L. Orr

In a discussion about books, libraries, and reading the other day, a small group discussed what they would most like to see libraries do. A dedicated reader said she wished libraries had space for small groups of people (such as family members) to use for quiet time reading together or reading aloud. I don't disagree, but I wished for a way to pull teens into the world of digital reading.

Why digital rather than "actual" books? Experience as a middle school sub lets me see the passion young people have toward all forms of digital access. Yes, games are popular, and social media is the king (or queen) of life for many. I don't see that changing.

Some kids like to read. In a class of 25 there could be three or four who pull out a book when they are done with a test or are in study hall. Some students will also say, "I don't read," if you suggest they pass time with a book.

When I monitored a study hall last week I did something I've never done. I put an earbud in one ear and listened to an Agatha Christie audiobook on my phone. I explained I'd done so because I usually have a book for down times, and had left it in my car. Several students asked how that worked and we talked about it for a minute. 

Though they can't have phones in class in middle school, they all own them. They can get fee audiobooks from the local library. I mostly use Chirp, because I can keep the books. Why couldn't the students use either of those?

I've decided to meet the students where they are, which is using their digital devices. I need to do some research -- for example, could they order digital audiobooks through the school library or does it have to be the public library? There's no point suggesting they do something if I can't answer the ensuing ten questions.

Then, what's the best book to recommend? Could I get a few kids to read the same one and talk about it? I'm going to talk to a few other authors and parents. Book suggestions are welcome.

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I Must Be Falling for Fall

By Elaine L. Orr

I’ve set a few books in summer and winter, but my season of choice is fall. It may have to do with the beautiful colors, but the temperatures are also pleasant after 90-plus degree weather. 

I'm not sure it's a good thing that I only recently realized that books three, nine and ten aren't set in the fall. Books nine and ten are in winter (because I wanted a certain wedding to take place New Year's Eve), and book three is in spring and summer because I wanted a Fourth of July event.

Here are my fall Jolie Gentil books (with Amazon links).

The prequel – Jolie and Scoobie’s High School Misadventures starts with Jolie's junior year, her only school year in Ocean Alley. It does span the year.

Appraisal for Murder – Jolie passes out Halloween candy as she solves a murder

Rekindling Motives – trouble starts at Jolie and Scoobie’s 10th high school reunion on a Thanksgiving weekend

Any Port in a Storm – think Talk Like a Pirate Day (September 19^th) and hurricane remnants

Trouble on the Doorstep – starts with Super Storm Sandy, the late October storm that wasn’t officially a hurricane

Vague Images – Jolie manages to hit a deer during fall mating season

Ground to a Halt – kidnapping at a Halloween party!

Underground in Ocean Alley -- a nurse is murdered and Aunt Madge runs for mayor

Sticky Fingered Books – October is a time for murder in the daycare center

New Lease on Death – early October blends pumpkin spice coffee with murder

Phoning in a Murder – football season at the high school is not good for the marching band leader

I'm going to have to do some serious planning about books 15 and forward. Future books will occur as Jolie and Scoobie stay in their mid-thirties. Among the reasons is because Aunt Madge couldn't run a B&B into her mid-nineties! Or perhaps she could, but there are steps...

It's now fall in Illinois, where I live. Time to enjoy the mums and plan a new book.

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Never Forget

By Elaine L. Orr

On September 11th each year, the words "never forget" appear in thousands of articles and cross many more thousands of lips. September 11, 2001 seems like an impossibly long time ago and as if it all happened yesterday. 

I was in Washington, DC, in a building a few blocks from the White House to the West and U.S. Capitol to the East. Our fear of "what's next" was nothing compared to the fear of those stuck in the Twin Towers above the floors where the planes struck. Still, I wouldn't go on the subway, and was prepared to walk to Kensington until a colleague offered a ride.

The photo at left is a thank-you note to police, firefighters, and the Red Cross from a 2nd grade class in Arlington, Virginia. It hung on a fence surrounding Arlington National Cemetery (where my parents now are), across from the damaged portion of the Pentagon. I visited there soon after.

The message is, "Thank you for helping the people at the Pentagon. You are great people for saving others. We know that your job is hard and dangerous. Thank you for protecting us." You can see the other flowers, and there were more spread on the ground. 

Thousands volunteered to give blood most of which, sadly, was not needed. For a brief time we came together as a nation. People were polite while boarding airplanes, we nodded or smiled at strangers.

I hope we never have such an event in our country again, but I wish there could be a way to create the spirit of generosity that followed that terrible day.

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Questions for an Interview

By Elaine L. Orr

I recently jotted some notes for an interview about my writing and writing practices, and they reminded me why I do what I do.

How long have you been writing?

For probably twenty-five years, I jotted notes and wrote short things and a few plays. Then I decided that writing books was more my style and started doing it seriously in about 2005. The first ones were published at the end of 2010 and beginning of 2011. I don't intend to stop.

Did you always want to be an author? What made you choose the cozy mystery genre?

I wouldn't say always, or I suppose I would have gone into academic writing programs instead of political science. I did take a journalism course right after college and wrote a lot of very boring reports. 

When it comes to fiction though, cozy mysteries were a natural for me. I had always enjoyed traditional mysteries like Agatha Christies or M.C. Beaton's work. I also decided that while some people might not read cozies, they could be read by everyone from high school up. If you write something that has a lot of violence or sex, there are distinct audiences for those, but not everyone wants to read them. Not that everyone wants to read cozies. I occasionally hear someone who has never read one refer to them as too simple. I dare them to write a good one.

Do you have a favorite place to write? 

I write in places with some activity, but not something I’m involved in. That way I feel like I'm with people but I don't have to talk much. Libraries are good and when I first moved to Illinois I spent a lot of time in Starbucks. I can also write at home. It may sound trite, but the hardest thing about that is keeping the cat away from me. I really like her, but she wants to sit on the keyboard or my lap.

Do you prefer to read cozy mystery books, or do you have another favorite genre? What are you reading now?

I read a little bit of everything. I like Anne Tyler, who writes literary fiction. There are still Agatha Christie books I haven't read. I do read some thrillers, from authors such as John Sandford’s Virgil Flowers series or almost anything by Daniel Silva. 

I like books where the characters are compelling. One of my favorite books is Pompeii by Robert Harris. Of course, you know how it's going to end, but the characters he created and the situations he describes are fascinating. 

I'm in a "women of mystery book club" (WOMB). We just finished Vera Wong's Unsolicited Advice for Murderers by Jesse Q. Satanto. What's that saying? So many books, so little time.

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