Murderati

Of Fairy Tales and Folk Tales

by Naomi Hirahara

My mother she butchered me,
My father he ate me,
My sister, little Ann Marie,
She gathered up the bones of me
And tied them in a silken cloth
To lay under the juniper,
Tweet twee, what a pretty bird am I!

--"The Juniper Tree" by the Grimm brothers

My mother doesn't like the cover of the Japanese version of my second mystery, GASA-GASA GIRL. The publisher doesn't understand my book, she wrote in an e-mail. Looks like something for teenagers.

But when I first saw it, I loved it. Immediately. It's in manga style, with cartoon characters. My amateur sleuth, a seventysomething Japanese American gardener, is grappling with some young man while his tomboyish daughter stands holding a smoking gun.

The cover alerts readers that the book inside may be a fairy tale. No, I silently respond to my mother's electronic comment, this publisher totally got the book.

************************

Inevitably at some writers conference, book event, or blog, there will be an author who explains that it's best to write what you know. I always cringe when I hear that remark and double cringe when another writer counters that writing what you know is the most boring thing ever.

You see, readers will look at me and firmly place me in the "writing what you know" camp. After all, my main character in my series is inspired by my father and all the men I wrote about while I was a reporter and then editor for a Japanese American newspaper for more than 10 years. It's a very quaint and precious behind-the-scenes story but is nowhere close to evoking the oohs and aahs of let's say, a white guy writing about a geisha in the mid-twentieth century. Because certainly he did the hard lifting, while I must have sat there and documented what was right in front of me, like a teenager with a Super 8 camera (I know, I'm dating myself.)

But writing any kind of fiction is just that -- writing lies for entertainment and illumination. Doesn't matter if the subject matter is close and all around you, or back in the distant past or future or in another country or world. When you sit down at that computer or desk, what you're doing is creating a new universe -- it can be one that is very similar to the one you live in, but it cannot be the exact same reproduction. Characters that are based or inspired by real people cannot be tied down to reality -- there will come a time in your manuscript that they will loosen their rope ties or break their metal shackles and go on their own way. It just has to be.

Anyway, what do we really know? Do we totally understand our friends, parents, children, spouse/partner and even ourselves? (If we did, there would be a lot less substance abuse, divorce, child neglect, and family discord, I'd imagine.) Can we imagine what loved ones are feeling, thinking at all times? Have we shocked ourselves at how we've reacted during a time of crisis? Those of us who write about familiar characters, settings and locales may be recreating what we THINK we know. But it's indeed just one interpretation.

For those in the mystery genre, plot also forces us to be universe creators. Whether we write traditional mysteries, thrillers, police procedurals, noir stories, or PI novels, we are actually treading in to the arena of folk tales and fairy tales. Because how in the world can our amateur sleuth -- a common baker, p.r. professional, or gardener -- keep tripping over those dead bodies? We know your average FBI agent doesn't have that kind of non-stop exciting life (I'm sure there's a lot of paperwork that needs to be filled out on antiquated computers). We've heard how most crime labs are destitute and to process one DNA test might take the length of a whole season of CSI. And private investigators -- talk about mundane work!

Yet in our hands, these people become something else on the page. I'm convinced their stories are our society's contemporary folk and fairy tales. Just check out Grimm's fairy tales; they are definitely more noir than fanciful. Some impart lessons; others are just gruesome. Some are light and humorous. All present an alternate reality, where a common villager can transform into something quite extraordinary.

***********************************

As I've mentioned on blogs and speaking engagements, my father, up to this time, hasn't read any of my books in the series -- and now there are three of them. Even though he was born in California and has lived here for most of his life, he feels more comfortable reading Japanese.

I say "up to this time," because things have changed with the Japanese translation.

Instead of waiting for my author's copies from the Japanese publisher, I run to the local Kinokuniya Bookstore in Los Angeles' Little Tokyo as soon as I hear that Shogakukan's version of GASA-GASA GIRL has come in.

My first stop afterwards is to my parents' house. My father grabs the book out of my hand before I'm barely inside. He rushes to the light and examines the front and back covers and goes straight to the end of the book, where there's a five page essay on me and the series.

"The person writes that she's hoping for more books on Mas Arai," he reports.

There will be, I say, as I've just forged a deal with a new publisher. (This time hardcover, yay!)

He then asks me what's going to be the heart of the fourth book.

"Drugs," I say in Japanese.

"Drugs?" My father frowns and considers this topic. "This guy's a gangster," he then proclaims.

I wonder if I've insulted my father -- perhaps guilt through literary association -- but when I look more closely at his bespectacled face, I believe that his eyes are glimmering.

The next time I see him, he has finished the book. "Kora," he says. Hey! "You wrote my story."

But you've never been in New York, the setting of the translated book, I tell him.

He doesn't seem to hear my words. When I leave, he walks onto our cement porch. "Our friends are waiting for the next installment," he says. "They are wondering what will happen next."

_______________________________________________________________________

WANT TO LEARN MORE ABOUT CHARACTER AND UNIVERSE BUILDING?
S.J. Rozan and I will be leading a workshop, "Credible Characters, Credible Worlds," at MWA's inaugural two-day Crime Fiction University during Edgar Week. Our session will be on Tuesday, April 29, at 2 p.m. at Lighthouse International in New York City. 

Madwomen

NAOMI HIRAHARA

I had a nice and proper post all ready for today, the day that many are dancing away at ThrillerFest. It was about my attempt to lengthen a short story into a novel, with all sorts of references and tips. But then something got in the way. Dorothy Hughes.

I had heard about Hughes from Denise Hamilton, whose upcoming standalone is set in the post-World War II era. She told me how Hughes’ IN A LONELY PLACE, published in 1947, holds up so well over time. She was absolutely right. I picked up IN A LONELY PLACE earlier this week and I devoured it in huge delicious bites. (Who needs chocolate cake when you have good books!)

It has a pulp fiction plot with a subtle yet mesmerizing sociopathic voice. The lead character is Dix Steele, an educated drifter, a former serviceman who makes his way to Southern California. IN A LONELY PLACE, which was very loosely adapted into a movie starring Humphery Bogart and Gloria Grahame, was apparently one of the earlier works of psychological noir in the 20th century, predating Jim Thompson and others.

Then I discovered that this reprint of IN A LONELY PLACE is part of a Femme Fatales series published by Feminist Press. I can’t wait to get my hands on GIRLS IN 3-B by Valerie Taylor, and BUNNY LAKE IS MISSING by Evelyn Piper. Take a look at the titles, covers and descriptions of the books in the series and you might get hooked as well.

I haven’t felt this excited about discovering voices from the past since I stumbled across TO LIVE AND TO WRITE: SELECTIONS BY JAPANESE WOMEN WRITERS 1913-1938, edited by Yukiko Tanaka. Although I knew that Japanese women, both past and present, could not be classified as exotic geisha, I was still surprised by the raw and political nature of these stories. Nothing seemed taboo—adultery, female sexual domination, Marxism. Many of the writers were either active anarchists or communists. They created a Bluestocking Journal (Seito-sha) way back in 1911 (!) to tackle various feminist issues. (As an interesting aside, I just learned that 11 Edgar Allan Poe stories were translated in the first and second volumes of the Bluestocking Journal. A scholar, Tamaki Horie, explains that these translations “show the enthusiasm of the women who got together for the journal to seek freedom.” Poe and women’s liberation—who would have thunk it?)

CAPTION Noe Ito, who was the last editor of the Bluestocking Journal. She, her lover, and her lover’s 6-year-old nephew were arrested for anarchism, beaten to death and thrown in a well by military police in 1923. Called the Amakasu Incident, the killings sparked outrage in Japan and was the basis of a movie, “Eros Plus Massacre” [1969].

These works, both the Feminist Press series and the Bluestocking stories, have all caused me rethink of how we often depict “The Past” with “That 70's Show” external gloss. Yes, the hairstyles and clothing are right, but how about the rest? For instance, were all the American women in the Fifties as passive, restrained and compliant as is popularly depicted in our present-day interpretation of that time period? Or was something a little more subversive going on?

The writings also highlight that creativity abounded among these women authors, but at a cost.  Sometimes the work could not be sustained because of domestic demands. (At the height of her career, Dorothy Hughes had to abandon novel writing to help care for her grandchildren and sick mother. She developed an impressive body of critical reviews and biographical books and was honored as an MWA Grand Master.)

This past week I got together with three other high school girlfriends for our annual get-together. As the night progressed, we became more honest about the struggles in our lives. As I walked home, I thought that while we’ve all had fruitful careers that our female predecessors could have only dreamed of, the balancing of the domestic life with the “outside” life still remains very tenuous.

Dorothy Hughes and the contributors to the Bluestockings Journal are reminders that women of different times and places managed to be vibrant, active and sometimes even wild despite the repressive confines of the society they lived in. They were all madwomen in specific ways, and I’m absolutely mad about them.

Murderati Word Jumble

ARAHARIH IMOAN

My throat starts to close and my hands get clammy whenever friends at a gathering start talking about board games. “Scramble! Boggle! I bet Naomi’s good at that,” someone usually says.

Well, quite the contrary. I stink at Scramble. I’m a little better at Boggle but not much. Crossword puzzles, not for me. It’s embarrassing to admit this, but I’m not much of a wordsmith. Nor do I produce words well under pressure. I could never be an advertising copywriter like my Murderati mate Louise Ure because 1) I’m not clever and 2) composing anything in public gives me heart palpitations.

The one word exercise I do find fun is word jumble. Maybe it’s because it’s more of a solitary activity. I also enjoy chaos, so attempting to make sense out of a mess is more my nature perhaps. (And like word search, it’s pretty darn easy.) So in subbing today (J.T.—not to mention Tony and Alex—are at Book Expo in NYC, those lucky dogs), I’m going to offer you a Murderati Word Jumble.

So this is how it works:

Each of these jumbled words needs to be rearranged into a word in a Murderati blogger’s title. You need to not only rearrange the word correctly but also note the title of the book which contains the word. (To be fair, there will be no proper nouns or foreign words—especially Japanese ones!) Every single current Murderati contributor, including guest bloggers, are represented once. The bonus jumble at the end contains a word in the title of one of Michael Maclean’s short stories (you can link to his website to do a search).

If you think that you have all the answers, including the book titles, e-mail them to me by Saturday, 9 a.m. PST at nhirahara@juno.com. The fourth person to provide the right answers will be the winner! (This will make some allowances for the time difference.) I will post the answers as well as the winner in the comment area later that day.

What does the winner get? A signed, first edition/first printing of the Edgar Award- winning SNAKEKSIN SHAMISEN! How about that?

And ’Ratis, feel free to join in as well. (If you win, though, no book for you—you get only my undying affection. The next non-‘Rati to answer correctly will get the prize.)

If this word jumble leaves you wanting more, feel free to create your own and post it in the comment section so we can continue to play.

After all, it’s Friday, right?

YRVE

TIGRH

GRIFCON

TEYRPT

THIHC

DYOBGEO

TIWIGNA

URASGRD

KKNNAISSE

WHIGROARN

BONUS: Maclean Madness

ATHGRTIS

Live From New York

A BRIEF MESSAGE FROM NAOMI HIRAHARA FROM THE GRAND HYATT HOTEL A DAY AFTER THE EDGARS:

SHOCKED...SURREAL...HUMBLED

See some of you at the L.A. Times Festival of Books!

UPDATE (4/30/07): Here are some photos from the Big Night--

Nominees' reception before the banquet.  The above photo courtesy of New York Japion.

It takes a village to create an Edgar (not to mention a book).  Post-banquet with, from left to right, publicist Sharon Propson, publicist Katie Rudkin, editor Shannon Jamieson Vazquez, and editor Danielle Perez.

Observing Los Angeles Noir

NAOMI HIRAHARA

From the Film Noir Festival in Hollywood to various
signing events related to the launch of Akashic’s LOS ANGELES NOIR, I’ve been plunged into a new world (for me, at least). The dark, masculine world of noir, and it’s been both invigorating and simulating. It’s been pushing me to think more about mystery historicals set in the Forties and Fifties and how placing Japanese America in that context is a perfect and timely fit. (Yes, I’m thinking about a new project, a mystery standalone.)

As a nod to LOS ANGELES NOIR, which includes literary luminaries like Michael Connelly, Janet Fitch, and Susan Straight, I thought I’d pose a few questions to the editor of this special collection, Denise Hamilton, as well as the publisher of Akashic, Johnny Temple.

Why did it take so long for LOS ANGELES NOIR to come out?

DENISE: From my perspective once Johnny brought me on board, I took a very cautious and measured approach. I gave the concept a lot of thought to decide what kind mix of stories and authors I wanted and who was available. I didn’t want to rush pell-mell into things. The fact that Los Angeles is the birthplace, the ground zero of all things noir, also made the stakes higher for me, and I wanted time to let everything stew, steep. When you can only choose 17 stories, each one you don’t choose is excruciating. I also had my own Scribner annual deadlines to meet, so it was necessary for this project to fit into those parameters. We also decided that the perfect time to launch the book would be the Los Angeles Times Festival of Books, so that meant late April and we had to back it out from there.

JOHNNY: It's a lot more difficult to assemble an excellent literary anthology than most people think. For me, it was a matter of taking however much time I needed to find the right editor. Denise was the perfect choice, and we were honored that she opted to take it on. Fiction collections can be unwieldy beasts, and, as I suspected, Denise was able to harness this one.

DENISE: Why, thank you. I’ve been a big fan of Akashic since I discovered Nina Revoyr’s SOUTHLAND that you published, which is a fantastic literary novel with a huge mystery at its core. It was a finalist for an Edgar several years ago.

With so many books in the Akashic noir series and more to come, do you think that you’ve oversaturated the market? Or do think that there always will be room for noir?

JOHNNY: We definitely haven't oversaturated the market, judging by the commercial success (on our humble level) of every title in the series so far. Many people feel a sense of loyalty to their cities, and as long as we can work with people like Denise, we'll always be able to make great, suspenseful, unpredictable books.

What did you hope to achieve with LOS ANGELES NOIR? With the grand body of work out there, from noir films to works from Chandler and Ellroy, were you ever daunted by your task of collecting these stories? What was your strategy?

DENISE: It is an impossible task to collect 17 stories that “represent” L.A. I didn’t even try to tackle that one. I only tried to capture 17 facets of this bejeweled and begrimed and benighted city at one point in time, through 17 different perspectives. I asked each contributor to pick a neighborhood to write about, and one of my caveats was that the authors all had to have lived in Los Angeles. I wanted the book to have that gritty, authentic feel that comes from living here day in, year out, of piercing the veils that this place tries to shroud itself in, of getting the geography and idiosyncrasies right, because something that really pulls me out of a book is when I read a detail that’s askew. These things aren’t rocket science, but it’s hard to get everything right if you don’t live here, they are little insignificant details that Angelenos know.

As soon as I had lined up the contributors and their stories, I looked things over and realized I didn’t have a story set in the San Fernando Valley, which would have been nice, though I did have scenes in various stories set there. I would have also liked a story from East L.A. I think a story set in LA’s Persian community could have been fascinating. (Persians called L.A. “Teherangelis). I guess what I was aiming for in a general way was a broad diversity that balanced better known authors with newer talents, that took the traditional noir trope and examined it from an oblique angle, that gave voice to both the classic cops and robbers and betrayal scenarios that noir does so wonderfully as well as illuminate pockets and communities in L.A. that didn’t yet exist when Phillip Marlowe was prowling the mean streets.

I think there is a nice geographic and ethnic mix to the book that reflects the city itself, and seven of the 17 stories are by women. I didn’t plan that, or look to hit any marks in male vs. female, but I am glad that it shook out that way, as there has long been a debate about women writing noir, and I think, for instance, that Dorothy B. Hughes (who wrote the wonderful In a Lonely Place in 1949 from the first person perspective of a male serial killer) would have been right up there in the MacDonald/Cain/Chandler pantheon had she been a man.

I was also looking for stories that told me something about L.A. that I myself, as a native and a longtime reporter, didn’t know, stories that took me into another world, nested right inside the familiar one I knew so well. I was delighted when Michael Connelly didn’t write about a traditional neighborhood but picked Mullholland Drive, and when Jim Pascoe chose the L.A. River as his setting, and when Neal Pollack set his story in a gambling casino in the graceless town of Commerce, which is about as far from Hollywood as you can imagine, and yet also teeming with dreams and unrealistic hopes.

The other difficulty for me in putting together LOS ANGELES NOIR is that there are hundreds of talented writers living in Los Angeles, and I could only pick 17. I console myself with hoping that we will eventually publish LOS ANGELES NOIR II, III, IV just as Brooklyn Noir has done, and that we can eventually showcase many more of the wonderful creative writers here. One intriguing thing I learned is that even though our genre sometimes comes in for a bit of trashing from folks who consider mystery/noir/thrillers etc to be “beach reading,” the truth is that everyone seems to love a good noir tale and I found that literary authors such as Janet Fitch were delighted to have an opportunity to roll up their sleeves a bit and plunge into the swoony decadence of genre.

In what ways do you think Chandler’s Los Angeles is different from Denise Hamilton’s L.A.?

Raymond Chandler might not recognize this L.A., he’d think he was in El Salvador, or Armenia, or Vietnam. Most of the outer stretches of L.A. County were farms and fields and bare hillsides in his day. But he’d recognize the emotions -- the desperation, the greed, the hunger for power and fame and the willingness to sell your soul to achieve it. Hollywood still exerts a pull that is as strong as ever, and as the divide between rich and poor grows, the opportunity for crime, mayhem and betrayal only rises.

I find the covers of the noir series very provocative and interesting. How do you go about choosing the images? In what ways do you try to find something that is representative yet not stereotypical?

DENISE: Johnny and I looked at a lot of photos, and it was like Thurgood Marshall, the U.S. Supreme Court Justice talking about pornography, at least for me. I pretty much knew the cover when I saw it. It is hard to summon up one defining image of Los Angeles. Jim Pascoe (a LOS ANGELES NOIR contributor and a very visually brilliant guy) and I had a long e-mail exchange about what the quintessential image of L.A. is.

For him, that image was a sepia-toned, perhaps almost yellow image of one skinny tall palm tree, towering over a small house. Which speaks to the alienation, the loneliness, that is L.A., the sense of fate and nature conspiring against mankind, of our fruitless struggles to evade it.

I liked that and looked at a lot of palm trees, and shots along Hollywood Boulevard, and gangbangers and iconic photos of the skyline, the Hollywood sign, the Santa Monica Pier. But ultimately, when I saw the Griffith Park Observatory shot taken by Helen K. Garber, I had a very visceral reaction and said, that’s it.

It’s nighttime, the Observatory is aglow, it’s monolithic, hulking over the skyline, and yet it’s gorgeous and sleek and Art Deco-y. It speaks both to man’s thirst for beauty and symmetry, our “Ozymandias” complex to create something stupendous and lasting.

But it also speaks to the essential loneliness of the human condition, as the cover shot is devoid of people. For me and perhaps many others, the Observatory, through decades of being used as a film set, has also developed a patina of movie glamor. One thinks of James Dean and Natalie Wood, “Rebel Without a Cause.” Romance, mystery, intrigue, death, youth, beauty. But you also think of high school field trips, the acid trippy “Laserium” shows of high school.

Yes, I totally remember the Laserium, these laser shows that hurt your neck because you had to sit back to watch the visuals projected on the dome of the ceiling! All to the music of Pink Floyd. That was indeed classic.

DENISE: You have to be careful with images of Los Angeles, because some are so overused they can now verge on parody. Venice Beach, the Hollywood sign. They are etched into our consciousness. For me the Bradbury Building downtown will forever be linked to that amazing scene in “Blade Runner,” where Harrison Ford tracks down the escaped androids. So while I adore that place, I didn’t want it for LOS ANGELES NOIR. The Observatory had glamour and mystery and intrigue. And it was both from that classic retro era that we love and yet it still exists today (it just re-opened, in fact, after several years of remodeling) and bodies are still found near it from time to time. So it encapsulated both the past and the present and the ethos I was looking for.

JOHNNY: The cover of every NOIR Series book is based around a photograph. For good reason--as you can see in Denise's answer--the first place we usually check when looking for the right photo is with the editor, for her or his ideas (or, in some cases, like BROOKLYN NOIR with his own photo).

DENISE: I love that iconic BROOKLYN NOIR photo of the sexy female leg in the stiletto heel with the little tattoo on the grate. Dang, wish I’d thought of that.

Denise, I call you the Queen of Book PR and with feature articles in the Los Angeles Times and Pasadena Weekly, excerpt in the LA Weekly, and reviews in Publishers Weekly, etc., you’ve done an amazing job in promoting LOS ANGELES NOIR. Tell us about some upcoming events.

When you have 17 authors, you can tap into 17 fanbases and do wonderful promotion. We also plan to do a group signing at the Akashic Booth (our publisher is Akashic, see www.akashicbooks.com) during the Los Angeles Times Festival of Books April 28-29. Again, with 17 authors, we can feature different authors at different events and do different things. See my website, www.denisehamilton.com for specific events.

Johnny, tell us again how your started Akashic and what does the company look like today. How many employees? Do you run the company like any other traditional NYC publisher now? In what ways is Akashic different?

JOHNNY: We published our first book in 1997, back when it was more of a hobby and I was earning my living as a musician, and now we bring out close to 30 books per year. We have a full-time staff of four. We try to provide an alternative to the staid world of traditional book publishing. We try to be very author-driven and we're also involved in community events and civic literary engagement.

DENISE: I want to add that Akashic’s motto is: Reverse Gentrification of the Literary World. I just love that.

Denise, your body of work so far is grounded in Los Angeles. Tell us about your upcoming standalone historical book. What new things did you learn about Los Angeles?

DENISE: I just finished my first standalone, which is set in 1949 Hollywood and is filled with special effects wizards, starlets, cops, news photographers (Harry Jack from my Eve Diamond series, shown here as a very young man trying to get his first photojournalist job), mobsters, rooming house matrons and other characters. To steep myself in the milieu, I read tons of memoirs, oral histories, biographies, autobiographies and histories about what Los Angeles and specifically Hollywood were like then. It was such a quaint small town. Girls used to go down to Capitol Records to watch Frank Sinatra record–he liked an audience and would invite people into the studio and buy everyone food, coffee and ice cream. One woman recalls going down to a coffee shop in Hollywood and helping Montgomery Clift learn his lines for Giant. Teenaged girls would go down to the Hollywood ranch market at 2 AM because that’s when Marlon Brando and other stars went grocery shopping. Can you imagine Tom Cruise doing his own shopping today? Or that kind of access? There is a great nostalgia among older people for the Hollywood that once existed.

I also learned that in the early 1930s a Midwest beauty queen and struggling actress named Lillian Entwhistle committed suicide by jumping off the Hollywood sign. But she aimed wrong, fell into a bed of cactus and lingered for three days, with cactus spines piercing her organs. She was depressed because she couldn’t get a role, and was about to be evicted. The day after her death a letter arrived in her mailbox, saying she’d gotten a role for which she’d auditioned. It was a play about a woman who commits suicide. Is that story stranger than fiction or what?

During my research I also had the privilege to meet Ray Harryhousen, one of the pioneers of stop motion animation. He studied under Willis O’Brien, who invented special effects (he did King Kong). These guys worked on B movies but they were magicians, revered, and it was a secret, no one knew how they made those creatures move. The special effects geek in my novel is inspired by Ray Harryhousen, and through his eyes I tell the history of that exciting time in animation, before CGI and Lucas and Spielberg revolutionized the industry with computers.

I wanted to recreate Los Angeles in 1949, to show the Red Cars, the Chavez Ravine settlements about to get bulldozed to make way for Dodger Stadium, the homophobia, the corruption, but also empty open spaces, the hope, the quality of the light,that was Los Angeles just after the war. McCarthyism was on the horizon, women were getting laid off of the work force, suburbia was spreading, we were about to enter a very conservative era. But in 1949 we were still on the cusp, the aftermath of World War II still very much in people’s minds. And I wanted to show my city at that moment in time. The tone is almost blanc, instead of noir, because while it’s filled with dubious, crooked, scheming, conniving characters, it’s also suffused with light and hope and small generosities and kindnesses. And of course….murder.

Thank you, Denise and Johnny. And we hope to see you all at the Los Angeles Times Festival of Books! There will be an MWA-cosponsored reception at the Mystery Bookstore on Friday, April 27, and many LOS ANGELES NOIR contributors will be in attendance. And for LATFOB newbies, you can check out my past writeups of the festival to get initiated into this mind-blowing experience.

Good Tonic

NAOMI HIRAHARA

Carl Hiassen did it. Walter Mosley did it. Susan McBride is doing it, and so are Lauren Henderson, Sherman Alexie, and Nick Hornby.

Certain critics and publishing players disparage it, and haven’t been shy about expressing their views. What am I talking about? The world of juvenile and YA literature, a universe that I’m entering myself.

Yes, after expressing my fears about leaving my Mas Arai mystery series for an indefinite period of time, I was able to sell my novel for adolescents at the beginning of 2007. My novel was supposed to fall in the category of women’s literature, but as what often happens when I start a project with new characters, the story tugs and pulls me in the direction where it needs to go. The ease of the process depends on if I can surrender and extinguish my personal expectations. So, here, based on the recommendation of my agent after reading my initial three chapters, I’ve followed the voice of my 13-year-old protagonist.

I used to think that my work-in-progress fell in the category of YA (young adult) lit, but apparently it’s MG lit, or middle-grade literature. I’m writing for tweens, 10 to 14 year olds. This is a good age, I think. Teenagers any older may slowly be making their way into grownup literature. At least that’s what I was doing at that age.

I’m the first to tell you that I never expected to write for young people. First of all, I’m totally old school. Many of you know that I recently switched over from Windows 98 to Windows 2003. I don’t own an IPod. I don’t IM or text message. When I worked at my community newspaper, our then high-school intern presented me with her Dope Dictionary (circa 1996) because it was obvious that I was so out of it at the time that I thought dope meant Mary Jane. (In 1996, dope meant cool.)

I’m not whimsical or fantasy oriented. I don’t have children yet. I am playful, however. I’ll be the first to jump onto a swing at the beach, take a whack at the plastic moles at an arcade, go ice skating in the middle of downtown, and bounce around on a trampoline.

There are certainly some social, literary, and economic advantages in appealing to this MG and YA market. While many of us have noticed the graying of our core mystery audience, these readers are the future. They are adolescents and teenagers. Books for young people are powerful; the best have enormous staying power. Certainly all of us have that close connections to early books, whether it be ARE YOU THERE, GOD? IT’S ME, MARGARET; FROM THE MIXED UP FILES OF BASIL E. FRANKWEILER; A WRINKLE IN TIME; THE PHANTOM TOLLBOOTH; the ALL-OF-A-KIND-OF-FAMILY series, etc. It’s no surprise that many of these formidable works are still being sold to young people today.

And aside from the Harry Potter novels and other fantasy books, MG books can be quite short.  Forty thousand words, to be exact. In fact, that’s the length that stipulated in my contract, which was received only recently. At the time, I was planning to write a 60,000-word book, but now certain chapters have been compressed and now the manuscript is looking to be 45,000 to 50,000 words.

But more than these factors, I’ve discovered another benefit in entering this genre. Carl Hiassen’s quote on his website captures my sentiments: “Writing for young readers is a tonic for me.”

For me, 2006 was a tough year. We were still recovering from a death in the family at the end of the previous year, and then, as it often happens, we were socked in the stomach with more loss. The pain was tremendous and almost crippling to me personally. Anyone who has met me knows that on the surface I’m a cheery, optimistic person. I like to laugh. I don’t have frown lines. But 2006 hit me hard. I cried frequently—not a few pretty tears, but gut-wrenching sobs. The messy kind that produces red-swollen eyes and plenty of sticky, runny snot.

Angela, my 13-year-old protagonist in my middle school novel, is also experiencing trauma. In the book, 1001 CRANES, her parents are breaking up. She must spend a summer away from her home in Northern California in a working-class suburb called Gardena. She must negotiate certain unfamiliar cultural practices, like the folding of origami cranes for weddings, in midst of the dissolution of her own family unit.

Beginning to explore Angela’s loss wasn’t necessarily cathartic—I don’t believe that writing for pay should come from that place—but I understood her despair in a new way. I respected it.

In 2006 I also wrote three noir stories, darker ones than I’ve ever attempted. My mood certainly helped to develop the tone of these tales. One in particular spilled out quickly; it was one of these stories that wrote itself. I’m considering taking one of those stories and expanding the time period and characters into a standalone novel. It won’t stay at quite the same level of darkness as the short story, however. It will be hard for me to be in that place for a year or longer.

My MG novel is not about silliness and light, but I must admit that it’s been nice to reenter Angela’s world after writing these string of noir stories. It has been good tonic. Despite whatever obstacles are in her way, time is on her side.

YA and MG Lit Resources

One of the wonderful things about writing in a different genre is learning new things, both creatively and business-wise.

The MWA equivalent to this world is the Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators (SCBWI). There are some fundamental differences in the setup of these organizations.While SCBWI is for-profit association devoted to the development of children’s book writers and illustrators, MWA is a nonprofit charitable organization devoted to promotion of mysteries.

The SCBWI holds conferences on the East and West coasts, featuring lectures by editors, agents, and experienced authors. I’m hoping to check out the one in August. They also have these monthly regional informal get-togethers in people’s homes.

MWA has its Edgars Award each year, and the American Library Association offers its slew of awards, most notably the Caldecott and Newbery. These are definitely the Oscars for writing for young readers.

You can imagine that there would be a wide range of offerings in terms of blogs and other Internet resources in this genre.

A writer who I will happily meet in person at the inaugural Asian Pacific American Book Festival, Pooja Makhijani, has compiled a great list of blogs, and I can personally attest to the usefulness of A Fuse #8.

A most helpful yahoo group is middle school lit. This is aimed for librarians and teachers, first, and writers, a distant second.

One thing I’ve observed with mystery listservs is many of them degenerate into BSP. Hey, BSP is a necessary evil, but there needs to be a sacred place where readers can post their honest opinions and observations. Here in this yahoo groups, librarians and educators are the primary posters and I appreciate reading their challenges while on the frontlines with our readers.

There are similar yahoo groups for YA writers, but in the interest of time, I haven’t joined them, so I’m unfamiliar with their postings.

And finally, I’m gradually letting go of my skepticism regarding book trailers. In fact, I love the Random House submissions for the inaugural Teen Book Video competition last year. I don’t know if the competition will continued this year, but check out last year’s three finalists.

Independents Falling: Correction or Foreshadowing?

(Your usual Friday hostess, the ever gracious and beautiful J.T. Ellison, leaves this message for all of you: “I’m in New York today on a research trip. It’s my first real trip to the city, a brief two day affair, and I’ll report back on all the excitement next week.” Subbing for her today is one of her very cranky cohorts who has become a little less cranky with this news.)

NAOMI HIRAHARA

First it was news of A Clean Well-Lighted Place closing its doors in San Francisco. And soon after that announcement, it was Cody’s Telegraph in Berkeley. The dam then seemed to break, at least in large cities. Bob and Bob in Palo Alto. Murder Ink in New York City. Dutton’s Beverly Hills. Luis Rodriguez's Tia Chucha's Cafe and Cultural Center. Book Soup in South Coast Plaza. And now possibly Dutton's Brentwood might be erased by redevelopment. 

Changing demographics and pricey real estate, I thought. The impact of Internet sales and chain stores. Increased competition for our recreational time.

Two additional pieces of news that opened January (and we’re only three weeks into the new year) bode badly for publishing, especially in the independent realm—the bankruptcy of Advanced Marketing Services (AMS) and Independent Press Association (IPA).

So what the heck is going on? And for most of us who have never really heard of AMS or IPA (like myself), should this concern us?

The AMS Story

The humble start of AMS follows one of those homespun, rags-to-riches storylines: its first shipment as a book wholesaler was a children’s book, which was delivered to a Price Club from the back of one of the cofounder’s station wagon in 1982. The company quickly grew from there—to being the primary book supplier to four Price Clubs to securing deals with Price Club’s successor, Costco, as well as Sam’s Club and Pace Membership. Large distribution centers were opened in major cities; AMS became a publicly traded company; and international agreements were forged in Great Britain and Mexico. Among the flurry of acquisitions AMS initiated during the past decade was the purchase of Publishers Group West (PGW), the esteemed and largest distributor of independent publishers in North America.

Why has this great behemoth of a company, which boasts $900 million in sales on its website, declared Chapter 11? Evidence of the cracks in the company was revealed in the 2005 conviction of three executives in a scheme to falsify earnings and defrauding publishers of co-op advertising funds (news release, Office of the U.S. Attorney, Southern District of California). Leadership also went through a merry-go-round of changes.

Perseus Books Group has stepped in to offer distribution rights for PGW clients, many of them small presses whose survival greatly depends on recouping both the monies and inventory owed to them during the last quarter of 2006, arguably the most profitable season for publishers. (Perseus actually will be acquiring a PGW client, Avalon Publishing Group, which includes Caroll & Graf.)

An AMS creditor’s committee has also been formed, comprised of Random House, Penguin, Hachette Book Group, Grove/Atlantic and Wisdom Publications. Two of these publishers—Grove/Atlantic and Wisdom Publications—are PGW clients, so independents hope that their interests will be represented during the bankruptcy negotiations.

And on a more personal note, I have friends who produce books which are distributed by PGW. (PGW is very discriminating, so I remember how happy they were when they finally were accepted as a PGW client.) I’m afraid to contact them to see how they are doing. I know that business was hard to begin with, and now this. Devastating.

IPA

There are these magazines born out of the zine revolution of 1990s—you know, those photocopied and stapled in garages, which also served as the main rehearsal area for punk bands. Well, these zines have grown up. I’m not really part of this world, but I’m a big fan of Giant Robot. It was actually through publisher Eric Nakamura’s blog that I learned about the fall of GR’s distributor IPA, which distributed the now glossy mag to newsstands throughout the country.

Again, this will affect independent publishers; some have announced closures already.

So are all these bankruptcies and closings coincidental? Rather than a trend, are they a correction of bad, illegal, or perhaps unimaginative business practices? Or is it something more?

In this publishing game, it’s all about distribution. How to get your product, whether it be books or magazines, out to its readers. I won’t go all red, white, and blue on you and talk about the need for a variety of voices in a democracy. But it is particularly disturbing that in the case of AMS, fraud definitely played a role in compromising the integrity of a company that was responsible for distribution of so many independent publishers. And who knows—with large publishers owed so much (Random House, $43.3 million; Simon & Schuster, $26.5 million; Penguin Putnam, $24.6 million; the list goes on)—is it only a matter of time before midlist authors at these houses take some kind of hit?

In terms of book selling, there are glimmers of hope, daffodils in the snow. Books Inc. has taken over A Clean Well-Lighted Place and one of the co-owners of (ACWLP) has already started a new venture, Bookshop West Portal in San Francisco. A Sister in Crime, Julie Ann Swayze has launched an independent bookstore, Metropolis Bookstore, in the middle of downtown Los Angeles to great fanfare, with expansive writeups in Publishers Weekly and the Los Angeles Times. And independent bookstore proponent and author Keith Raffel happily reports that his beloved store, Bob and Bob, has secured a new location.

Producing, distributing, and selling books are a tedious and expensive business. For most, especially the independents, it’s a labor of love. To see some players treat it with such disrespect is disappointing, to say the least.

To keep up to date with the AMS bankruptcy and the unfortunate repercussions felt by PGW as well as publishers, both large and small, check out www.galleycat.com, www.pw.com, and Radio Free PGW (http://radiofreepgw.blogspot.com/index.html) Also, the online archives of the San Diego Union-Tribune (www.signsonsandiego.com). (AMS is headquartered in San Diego.)

L.A. MIX PROFILE: Librarian and Book Club Organizer Gary Warren Niebuhr

NAOMI HIRAHARA

Anyone who attends a Bouchercon mystery convention has seen the rail-thin figure of Gary Warren Niebuhr, usually in the center of a boisterous crowd—the eye of the storm. My girlfriends and I refer to him as Gasa-Gasa Gary because he always seems to be on the move. A career librarian and die-hard mystery fan, Gary has written books about his passion for the genre, the latest being on how to conduct a book club.

Book clubs can be a godsend for midlist mysteries. As an author, I’ve done my share, ranging from a Japanese-themed dinner in Phoenix to a phone conversation with a group in Seattle. Many were arranged by friends and acquaintances, but some resulted from contact through my website. Normally no Angeleno would invite a stranger to her home—no Angeleno would think of going to a gathering of complete strangers in a home, but books serve as a bridge.

Gary’s book is designed for readers and librarians, not authors. But we can learn much from his tips and experience. So, Gasa-Gasa Gary, speak out!

Tell us about the reference book you just released.

READ 'EM THEIR WRITES A HANDBOOK FOR MYSTERY AND CRIME FICTION BOOK DISCUSSIONS is a guide for people who want to lead a crime fiction book club. The book reveals how to organize your group, get participants, select book club titles, prepare for the meeting, and conduct discussions. The main content of the book is a breakdown of 100 titles that can be used for discussion purposes. For each book, information is provided including biographical information on the author with web sites and reader’s guides, a short plot summary, geographic settings, time period, series information, subject headings, appeal points and read alike suggestions. Then, I provide about a dozen questions that can be used to discuss the selected title.

Did Greenwood approach you or did you approach them?

I have had such good luck falling into the publishing business. My first book (A READER’S GUIDE TO THE PRIVATE EYE NOVEL. G. K. Hall, 1993) came about because I answered a one-inch ad running in Drood Review for someone to do a book in the series G. K. Hall was putting together on various sub-genres in the field. My second book (MAKE MINE A MYSTERY, Libraries Unlimited, 2003) came about because I attended a children’s author lunch at the Public Library Association and decided to sit down next to the acquisition editor from Libraries Unlimited.

This book was offered to Libraries Unlimited after MAKE MINE and they loved the concept. I loved doing this book and by far, it was the easiest to complete.

Can you tell us a little about your background? How long have you worked as a librarian? And tell us about the library you current work at.

I was born, schooled and worked in the city of Milwaukee for my entire life. While attended college and attempting to spend five minutes in every major that they offered, I came to the realization that my part time job as a shelver in the Milwaukee Public Library could be a career path. After earning an M.A. in Library Science from the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, I worked two years for an engineering college (like living amongst aliens) and two years as a clerk in a public library (in a building that is now a funeral parlor). Then, for reasons still undetermined, the Greendale Public Library hired me to be its library director and I have been there for 26 years.

When did you begin reading mysteries?

I read all types of books growing up including Freddy the Detective and the Hardy Boys. But I gravitated to science fiction for most of my youth despite still having the complete Sherlock Holmes collection my parents bought me when I was a teen. When I went to college at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, I took literature classes as time off from my other classes. Looking back now, I wish I had realized what really appealed to me and just read my way through the university experience.

After exhausting all the science fiction, fantasy and utopian electives in the English Department, I enrolled in a crime fiction survey course that began with THE BIG SLEEP by Raymond Chandler. This set me on a lifetime of reading mystery and crime fiction. Early in my reading of this genre I was able to ground myself in the history including reading everything from Carr, Christie, Sayers, Stout, etc. However, I always found myself drawn to the private eye.

Around 1978, I formed a mystery book discussion group with Beverly DeWeese (1999 Bouchercon Fan Guest of Honor) and some other civilians. The group met at my house. I no longer remember what we read or even how we operated. Eventually we heard that a mystery book discussion group called The Cloak and Clue Society had formed at a brand new mystery bookstore in town. Deciding it was silly to have two groups, we merged the two groups and that is how I met Beth Fedyn (2005 Bouchercon Fan Guest of Honor).

Cloak and Clue has been meeting ever since. While for a time my attendance was spotty (I was too busy doing community theater because I enjoyed wearing makeup for legitimate reasons), I have had a long association with this group and could not have done the new book club book without the experience I gained with this group.

In a conversation I had with Otto Penzler in 1981, who was discouraging me from trying to buy every work of crime fiction ever published like Allen Hubin had, he suggested that I specialize in the type of detective that I enjoyed the most. So, I now have 6,000 private eye novels in my basement. So much for specialization.

Somewhere in the eighties, while selling mystery books out of the basement of my house, I met Ted Hertel (2002 MWA Robert L. Fish Award recipient and current MWA-Midwest President) and we have been steadfast friends ever since. Ted, Bev, Beth and a host of other fans created EYECON’95 to honor the Private Eye Writers of America by having a convention in Milwaukee in 1995. Four years later in 1999, the same crew ran Bouchercon in Milwaukee.

During the Bcon experience, Ted and I met Sandy Balzo (2004 MWA Robert L. Fish Award recipient). After Bouchercon, Ted and Sandy had this crazy idea to form a crime fiction writers group. So The Noirsketeers have been meeting for six years. Ted and Sandy were the first readers for READ ‘EM.

And when did you decide to have a mystery book club at your library?

In 1992 I began the Greendale Park and Recreation Crime Fiction Book Discussion Group. People who want to be a part of the group sign up through Park and Recreation and pay a small fee. We meet in the Community Room of the Greendale Library from September to May (skipping December). We read one book for each session. There is no food.

Explain how you set up your book club. Is it different every year? How do you select your books?

Every year in May I create a list of about fifty books I think would make a great book discussion title. I pass the list out to the current members and let them vote on which title they would like to read. After gathering the ballots, I try to see a pattern in the top vote getters so that I can establish a theme for the next year. Here are some examples of the last few years’ lists:

2006-2007 THE SINS OF THE FATHERS AND SOME BAD MOTHERS TOO

9/26/06: Carlos Ruiz Zafon’s THE SHADOW OF THE WIND

10/26/06: Carol Goodman’s THE SEDUCTION OF WATER

11/16/06: Donna Tratt’s THE LITTLE FRIEND

01/25/07: Anita Shreve’s THE WEIGHT OF WATER

02/22/07: Jonathan Lethem’s MOTHERLESS BROOKLYN

03/22/07: Jodi Picoult’s THE PLAIN TRUTH

04/26/07: T. Jefferson Parker’s SILENT JOE

05/24/07: Minette Walters’ ACID ROW

2005-2006 THE SUN NEVER SETS ON YOUR BODY IF YOU DIE IN THE BRITISH EMPIRE

Minette Walters’ THE SHAPE OF SNAKES

Mark Haddon’s THE CURIOUS INCIDENT OF THE DOG IN THE NIGHT with Michael Chabon’s THE FINAL SOLUTION: A STORY OF DETECTION

Jacqueline Winspear’s MAISIE DOBBS

Ian Pears’ AN INSTANCE OF THE FINGERPOST

Erin Hart’s HAUNTED GROUND

Rhys Bowen’s MURPHY’S LAW

Michelle DeKrester’s THE HAMILTON CASE

Darren Williams’ ANGEL ROCK

2004-2005 MURDER THEY WROTE, MURDER WE READ

Dan Brown’s THE DA VINCI CODE (2003)

Alice Blanchard’s THE BREATHTAKER (2003)

Thomas Cook’s THE CHATHAM SCHOOL AFFAIR (1996)

Minette Walters’s THE BREAKER (1998)

Matthew Pearl’s THE DANTE CLUB (2003)

Alexander McCall Smith’s THE NO. 1 LADIES DETECTIVE AGENCY (1998)

Carolyn G. Hart’s LETTER FROM HOME (2003)

Donna Andrews’s YOU’VE GOT MURDER (2002)

2003-2004 OVER THERE: MYSTERIES IN INTERESTING PLACES

Giles Blunt’s FORTY WORDS FOR SORROW (2001)

Robert Wilson’s A SMALL DEATH IN LISBON (2003)

Elizabeth George’s A TRAITOR TO MURDER (2001)

Anthony Piper’s LOST GIRLS (2001)

Larry Watson’s MONTANA 1948 (1993)

Minette Walter’s THE ECHO (1997)

Ken Breun’s THE GUARDS (2003)

Elizabeth Inness-Brown’s BURNING MARGUERITE (2002)

What makes a mystery a good book club selection?

I talk a lot about this in the book but let’s cut to the chase. The best titles for book discussions are ones that have a strong theme and along the way do something to piss people off. With varying degrees of strength, all novels have plot, character, setting, subject matters and style. While you can hook a discussion on any of these elements, it is my contention that it is theme that will anger people the most and make them really want to discuss a title with someone.

I wrote READ ‘EM because I got so tired of people asking me how we could discuss crime fiction for 15 years when the only thing to discuss is "who did it." If they only discussable element of the book is the plot, you have picked the wrong crime fiction book to discuss.

How can an author help book clubs?

Authors need to understand the difference between books that are great entertainment and books that are great book discussion titles. Some books are never going to work as a book discussion title. Be kind to those who do not feel confident in discussing your title.

However, to help, an author could put a readers’ guide on your website with some suggested discussion questions.

What makes a good book discussion question?

We cover this extensively in the book, but the first rule is never write a question that can be answered yes or no.

Do you network with many other libraries or book clubs?

I do connect with other book discussion leaders. We all have the same problems and the same joys. Some ambitious book discussion leaders have started one city one book discussions (a concept invented by Nancy Pearl in Seattle) where an entire community (libraries, schools, private groups) all read the same book. Some libraries have book discussion kits. There is a lot of cooperation.

If a group is planning to launch a book club for the first time, what tips do you suggest?

Believe in the book and stay focused on a discussion about it. It is a great way to express yourself, learn about others, and feel the joy of sharing stories.

***

Thank you, Gary. And looking forward to seeing you at Left Coast Crime! Here’s more info on his book:

READ 'EM THEIR WRITES A HANDBOOK FOR MYSTERY AND CRIME FICTION BOOK DISCUSSIONS

ISBN: 1-59158-303-9

ISBN-13: 978-1-59158-303-5

Libraries Unlimited; $35.00
Ordering information for the book can be found at http://www.greenwood.com/catalog/LU3039.aspx.

***

BIG BIG BACHI AVAILABLE IN JANUARY: Yes, it’s SUMMER OF THE BIG BACHI in large print. Happy New Year from Crown City, Rose Parade and Rose Bowl Central!

L.A. MIX PROFILE: Librarian Padmini Prabhakar

NAOMI HIRAHARA

Oh, what would authors do without librarians and libraries? Most of us devoured books in our youth in libraries. My local library was nestled among deodar cedar trees in Altadena. At the time it was brand spanking new, but now it is decidedly retro-Seventies; the architecture has held up well over time.

Most librarians love mysteries because they are among the most popular books in their libraries. In metropolitan Southern California, libraries frequently hold author talks and some even offer a token honorarium.

A couple of years ago, I was invited to Cerritos Library’s inaugural Mystery on the Menu luncheon event. Cerritos is on the eastern edge of Los Angeles County, right next to the Orange Curtain (OC). Known for its excellent school system and large automobile dealership center, Cerritos has definitely been on the fast-track of development, both economic and cultural. I myself was blown away with its state-of-the art library. When I returned home from the event, I told my husband that I would want to move to Cerritos just for the library. Of course, as usual, he thought I was crazy.

Behind the scenes of the spectacular author events at Cerritos Library is Padmini Prabhakar, one of the most thorough and professional librarians I’ve ever encountered. If you are ever in Los Angeles for a book tour, definitely have your publicist or publisher contact Padmini to see if she might be interested in hosting you for an event.

Tell us a little bit about your background. When did you decide that you wanted to become a librarian? Where did you study library science? What other libraries have you worked at and when did you join the Cerritos Library?

I originally come from Chennai, (formerly known as Madras) India. I have lived in Cerritos since 1979. I used to bring my two children to the original Cerritos Library to Storytimes and to check out books. A new wing was added to the Library in 1985. I thought it would be exciting to get a part-time job as my kids were growing up. I applied for the part-time Library Assistant job and was surprised to be hired as I was then a housewife with a Bachelor's degree in Botany. I was also an Art Consultant at a local elementary school and it was a real challenge working two part-time jobs and taking care of the family. In 1991 I was promoted to the full-time position of Young Adult Librarian to serve the needs of the teens in the community.

When I realized we were remodeling the Cerritos Library, I wanted to be worthy of working in this fabulous building. That's when I decided to get my Master's degree in Library and Information Science. I graduated from San Jose State University in 2003.

I heard that the Cerritos Library building was made out of titanium? Is that true? Any other nifty trivia about the building? When was it constructed?

The outside of the Cerritos Library is clad in titanium tiles. The Library was the first titanium-clad structure in the United States. Titanium expresses the concept of change as it has subtle color shifts from reflecting the angle of the sun and atmospheric conditions. Titanium also allowed for a fluid design with compound curves. The material suggests the Library's "Save the Planet" theme as it does not have a negative impact on the environment and is maintenance free.

The library has a series of themed spaces designed to make you feel as if you are journeying through time, from an old world reading room, to a Craftsman style great room, to an art deco area inspired by the old Pan Pacific Auditorium, to the "21st Century" level designed to feel like a library of the future. The children's area is probably the most impressive. A 15,000-gallon salt water aquarium, complete with sharks, a moray eel, and hundreds of colorful tropical fish is located in the lobby area. Stan, a full scale T-Rex skeleton from the Black Hills Institute in South Dakota, a space shuttle and a rainforest tree are a few special features in the Children's area. I would like to invite everyone to come visit the Cerritos Library, the world's first "experience library" and enjoy several commissioned art pieces, including a Chihuly glass sculpture.

When will this year's Mystery on the Menu be held? What authors will be participating? Why did you decide to launch Mystery on the Menu and who helped you?

The third annual Mystery on the Menu will be held on Saturday, January 27 between 11 a.m. and 4 p.m. I have confirmed the following authors so far: Sheryl Anderson, Brett Ellen Block, Stephen Cannell, Joanne Fluke, Lee Goldberg, Tod Goldberg, Gar Anthony Haywood, Susan Kandel, Kelly Lange, Robert Levinson, Barbara Seranella and Walter Satterthwait. It is a fun event. I would encourage all mystery buffs to attend.

Couple of years ago, I attended a panel discussion with three mystery authors and I heard about the annual Men of Mystery event with 50 authors. I thought I would invite 10 mystery authors and request the Friends of the Cerritos Library to sponsor the luncheon. President Janice Dawson and other boardmembers were willing to give it a try and because of its success, our second luncheon had 12 authors and I am working on inviting 14 authors for Mystery on the Menu III. The all-day event will start off with the first panel of authors discussing their careers and books followed by a delicious lunch. Next the second panel of authors will address the audience and all the authors will sign their book provided for purchase by Linda Bivens of Crime Time Books.

What suggestions do you have for libraries that may be thinking of integrating mysteries into their programming? How popular are mysteries among your library constituency?

I am finding that most of the authors we host are mystery ones. That tells you that this is the most popular genre in Cerritos. I may also be partial to mystery as I grew up reading Agatha Christie and Erle Stanley Gardner.

Librarians who are interested in getting in touch with local mystery authors should contact local bookstores and see who is signing books there. Los Angeles Times Sunday edition's Book Review section lists author events every week. It is always good to attend some of these events and make contact with the authors or their publicists and let them know that their libraries are interested in hosting them. There is a lot of talent in Southern California and all these authors love to visit libraries.

What advice would you give authors who want to approach libraries about author talks?

I would request all authors to update their websites and keep their contact information and calendar of events current. I am sure your fans would like to come to your programs and meet you in person and discuss what you are planning to write. American Library Association offers a program to its members called authors@your library. Publishers can get in touch with ALA at http://www.authorsatyourlibrary.org/ and register to be part of this program. Very often the Friends of the Library would sponsor author events. This is a great group to get in touch with to schedule visits to libraries. Many of your authors may already be aware of these resources.

***

Thank you very much, Padmini!

If you ever have time while you are in Southern California, please visit this magnificent library:

Cerritos Library

18025 Bloomfield Avenue
Cerritos, California 90703
Phone: (562) 916-1350

If you have ever worked with Padmini and want to sing her praises, please do so in the comments section. And if you have any other fabulous librarians, library events, or plain library memories you want to mention, add them as well. I’ll be continuing this theme of librarians with another profile on Friday. Who will it be? I’ll give you a clue: he’s very gasa-gasa.

Get Ready for the Boar

NAOMI HIRAHARA

2007 is the Year of the Boar, or Wart Hog, which would have been my grandmother's year, if she was alive. For me professionally, 2007 will be a transitional year. I won't have a novel out, and I'll be working on a YA series as well as doing research for a mystery standalone. As my career shifts, or rather expands, and my workload increases, I thought it best for me to give up my spot on Murderati for another blogger.

My intention to join forces with Pari and others on Murderati was primarily to discuss the process of releasing my third book, to write about public relations and promotional efforts (I was a flak in Hollywood for about three years), and to talk about the L.A. mystery writing and marketing scene. For the sheer size of the book market here, I still maintain that we don't have a comprehensive literary web presence. There are many good websites and blogs, but we can use more.

Here's a handy and dandy index of L.A. Mix profiles I've posted during the past eight months:

Independent Bookstore Mystery Galaxy in San Diego
Media Escort Ken Wilson
Newspaper Writer Patricia McFall
SinC/LA President Sue Ann Jaffarian
Professor William Edwards

And nuts and bolts posts:

Copyediting styles and copyeditors
L.A. Times Festival of Books (I, II, III)
Craziness of Amazon numbers and how they don't mean much
ISBNs and Library of Congress numbers
Book launch for a first novel
Author essays in mystery magazines

I purposefully haven't blogged too much on the writing process, because I have learned to write intuitively from reading novels, not from how-to books or classes. I'm pretty independent and stubborn, and don't like to rely on any kind of guides, except for maybe travel books. Since I learned to write outside of the classroom, I didn't know how beneficial my writing advice would be.

Although I'll be leaving Murderati as a regular blogger, I'm be visiting from time to time as a guest blogger. And I'll still be very much a part of the mystery scene, as three of my short stories will be published in anthologies in the Year of the Boar (or else close to it):

"Number 19" in LOS ANGELES NOIR, edited by Denise Hamilton. The life of a lonely young woman in L.A. is changed forever when she becomes obsessed with a masseuse at a Koreatown spa.

"The Chirashi Covenant" in A HELL OF A WOMAN: AN ANTHOLOGY OF FEMALE NOIR, edited by Megan Abbott. A former Japanese American beauty queen seeks upward mobility for her family in the 1950s at a disastrous cost.

"Tat Master" in THE DARKER MASK, edited by Chris Chambers and Gary Phillips. A young female tattoo artist, on the run from her yakuza boyfriend in Japan, finds herself with some supernatural powers after an encounter with a stranger in L.A. (This is going to be super cool because each story will be illustrated by a comic book artist. Actually, I think this book will be coming out the beginning of 2008 instead of the end of 2007.)

I can't tell you how I excited and honored I am to be included in all three anthologies, which appeal to slightly different niches. Just looking at the editors and other contributors indicate the high caliber of these respective collections.

The stories I've written for these anthologies are definitely more hardboiled than my Mas Arai mysteries. (I still have a few weeks to polish two of the stories.) It was both liberating and challenging to sharpen my story-telling skills and to find the unique voice of each protagonist. The stories are all told from female points-of-view, which has been a refreshing change for me. In fact, writing "Number 19" probably helped "clear my decks" in tackling my YA novel, which is told in first person by a 13-year-old girl. Taking a break from Mas Arai and stretching my creative wings have made me more confident and brave a writer.

While I'm excited about the creative and professional changes in my life, I am sad to leave the camaraderie of Murderati team. It's strange–I've only met in person one Murderati blogger, our fearless leader, Pari, so far. I think one of the reasons why Murderati has worked is that we are so different. We aren't a clique. What binds us together is that we write mysteries professionally. And I don't know if the other Murderati would appreciate this observation, but that we all are underdogs in one way or another.

There's nothing wrong with being an underdog. In fact, it's as American as apple pie. Our national fascination with the underdog and second chances is probably our most endearing cultural value (well, at least to me). As these stories go, the underdogs always come up winners at the end. So I have special wishes for each of the Murderati bloggers, both present and future, with gifts of Japanese New Year, or Oshogatsu, food, which is full of symbols and metaphors.

Renkon for Deni

Lotus root, which has many holes to foresee the future.

Kazunoko for Jeff

Herring roe for fertility. (Enuff said. How about productivity in terms of books?)

Both Jeff and Deni will be moving on to pursue their own blogging venture.  My best to them.

Kuromame for Simon

Black beans, which represent health. Add chestnuts, and you have success, repeated over and over again.

Tai for Elaine

A big fish for the queen of the sea. Tai, or sea bream, is usually served whole; nothing is broken. Elaine will be taking over Wednesdays, so I know this day will be hopping!

Kamaboko for J.T.

Pink fish cake which symbolizes patriotism, purity and honesty. Totally appropriate for this Killer Year woman.

Mochi for Pari

Pounded rice cake, which is plenty sticky for long life and prosperity. Mochi, like Pari, keeps everyone together.

Kombu Maki for all the new Murderati bloggers!

Rolled kelp for gladness or joy. Kombu maki always reminds me of tuxedos or penguins for some reason. And oh, so fun to make.

Toshikoshi Soba for all you readers

These buckwheat noodles are especially long for long life. Yum! Can't wait to eat some.

As of 2007, I will be updating my website monthly with a note, brief book review on novels and mysteries related to Asian Americans, and yes, a new Japanese word to learn. So come visit. I know I'll be visiting Murderati on a regular basis. In fact, as a guest blogger, I'll be posting two interviews on two illustrious librarians during the last week of December. In February I'll be in Seattle for Left Coast Crime; if you are too, please say "hi" in person.

If you ever come to L.A., I'll be helping with the inaugural Asian Pacific American Book Festival on Saturday, May 12, 2007 and contributing to the Japanese American National Museum's "Landscaping America" exhibition, which opens in June. And let us not forget–there's the Los Angeles Times Festival of Books at the end of April.

Happy Year of the Wart Hog!

Peace.

WEDNESDAY'S LAST WORD: inoshishi (SUMMER OF THE BIG BACHI, page 75)

Boar, wart hog. It's pronounced EE-no-she-she. Boar birth years are 1923, 1935, 1947, 1959, 1971, 1983, 1995, and, of course, 2007. Boar people are supposed to be pure of heart, generous, and kind. A true friend with a passion for life and indulgence. They are supposedly compatible with Tigers, which would make any Boar a good buddy of mine.