My Offer to the Book Club Circuit

I would love to see more book clubs put my mystery Lies Agreed Upon on their 2014 agendas, and I can be available in person for Southern California group discussions--and perhaps even meetings in other areas--if given enough notice. I admit I am still perfecting my book club presentation. I have developed suggested discussion questions, of course, but the book groups I have attended want to know more; they are interested in the creative process. I have found myself talking about plotting and character development, background research, editing and rewriting, word choice and writing style, time management and writer's block. But I sensed I was omitting a key ingredient of creative writing. I realized after a recent book group meeting that I needed to do better at sharing the "magic" as well as the mechanics of writing. By that I mean those serendipitous events--a random memory, a TV news story, a phone conversation, a chance encounter in a shopping mall--that inspire an "aha" moment and a new plot twist or a new character or even a whole new story. There were plenty of those as I wrote my novel. I assume that my mind, focused on an imaginary world, tended to strain and re-purpose real-world input to fit the fiction. But it felt much more exciting than that. It was as if the universe purposely delivered insight, illuminating truth with a beam of light from on high or from deep inside, but definitely from somewhere beyond conscious control. As Harry Potter's creator J.K. Rowling has said, “There's nothing better when something comes and hits you and you think 'YES'!” For me, fiction writing relies as much on that occasional epiphany as it does on steady wordsmithing--and I promise to share more of those "YES" moments if invited to speak with your book group. Download suggested discussion questions at http://authorkatherinesharma.com/discussion-questions-1.html

Mystery Chills Can Be One of Halloween's Treats

Halloween, today's candy-fueled fest of costumed self-expression and safely self-inflicted shudders, has become a retail bonanza. But despite commercial hype, from costumes for dogs to excessively ghoulish decoration, the real human fears underlying the celebration's melange of Celtic and Christian traditions seep through. In earlier European society, Halloween reminded that harvest warmth would soon yield to the specter of icy hunger, that it was a small step from laughing children to silent graves, that there were dark forces untamed by prayer. In festive disguise, we still acknowledge the thin mental veil between living and dead, good and evil, safe daylight and stirrings in the dark. That's why Halloween, although it is more associated with the horror genre, is a great time to curl up in a warm, cozy place to read a mystery. A good mystery, like Halloween, allows us to unmask and conquer the monsters and ghosts that haunt us. To quote Emily Dickinson: "One need not be a chamber to be haunted; One need not be a house; The brain has corridors surpassing Material place." Of course, I would recommend my own book, Lies Agreed Upon, but for a list of especially Halloween-themed mysteries, check out http://www.cozy-mystery.com/Holiday-Mystery-Books/Halloween-Mystery-Book-List.html

Setting the Mystery Scene With Seasonal Color

The seasonal setting is one of the choices I ponder when writing a mystery story. Seasonal weather and color palette can be used to form a background mood for the characters and plot. For example, in Lies Agreed Upon, the story was intentionally set in June in New Orleans. So, while scenes featured sunny days in a city of colorful pastel facades, which generally paints a lighthearted mood, the positive vibes were offset by the drama of frequent thunderstorms and by heat and humidity that sapped energy and increased irritability. By opting for a summer season, the story could use the lush greens of natural fertility and tranquility as a contrast to the intricate blackness of wrought/cast-iron decor, a hint to the dark human forces at work. In my next story, the setting is the Mid-Atlantic Coast in October. Fair, brisk autumn skies can turn gray with cold rain, so energizing weather alternates with depressing gloom. The warm colors of fall--red, orange, yellow and brown--evoke a sense of enthusiasm and comfort. But yellow and orange also are warning colors, brown can inspire a sadly isolated mood, and red is the hue of anger and blood as well as love. And with the choice of October, I can intentionally draw on Halloween black to emphasize themes of death and evil. For more about color psychology, go to http://psychology.about.com/od/sensationandperception/a/colorpsych.htm

Kindle Alert: Don't Miss This Bargain Offer

Attention Kindle readers: The e-book version of my debut novel, Lies Agreed Upon, a spicy gumbo of mystery, romance and murder set in New Orleans, is being promoted by Kindle Nation Daily next week at a special $2.99 price. Take advantage! The Kindle price is going back up after the promo period. If you like Kindle bargains and discovering new authors, and you haven't already joined, check out the Kindle Nation Daily site at http://kindlenationdaily.com/ and the related http://www.bookgorilla.com/

Taking 'Lies Agreed Upon' Discussion Beyond Genre

One of the key ingredients of a good book club meeting is a set of good discussion questions. Thought-provoking talking points help readers to go beyond plot, style and personal experience. They get readers to "think out of the box" to consider deeper, universal themes and to look at a book from different and perhaps uncomfortable angles. My book club doesn't usually deal with genre mysteries, romances or sci-fi because genre books don't often lend themselves to much discussion. I wanted my mystery, Lies Agreed Upon, to be an exception. So, in putting together discussion questions for the book, I tried to avoid a focus on the plotted "how" of crime, investigation and solution, or even the "who done it," since these questions generate little debate. I tried to direct the reader to think about the "whys" of tragedy: the ambiguity and malleability of character, the impact of social and historical injustices, the role of toxic family dynamics, the universal vs. the local viewpoint, and the shadows cast on the present by the past. Hopefully, these are issues that rouse differing opinions and reveal nuances in the story that enrich the reading experience. At the same time, I tried to craft discussion questions to avoid "spoilers." To see my suggested discussion questions, go to http://authorkatherinesharma.com/discussion-questions-1.html. I invite readers to share and post more talking points, of course!

Read the Kirkus Review of 'Lies Agreed Upon'

Kirkus, a trusted authority in book discovery since 1933, has posted a review of my self-published debut mystery, Lies Agreed Upon, and it's a generally positive assessment of my Indie effort. Quoting from the review: "Sharma portrays New Orleans as beautiful, corrupt, complicated, secretive and tragic—far more than just an atmospheric backdrop for Tess’ genealogical investigations. She skillfully shows how the family betrayals, murders, lies and vengeance Tess uncovers are inextricably linked with New Orleans’ history, racial and sexual politics, and geography. The author handles dialogue (and dialect) well, which gives vitality to her large, varied cast, and she depicts Tess herself [my protagonist] as likable, enterprising and sympathetic." There is criticism for the extra effort required to follow the "complicated family relationships," even with the family tree supplied for reference (which unfortunately doesn't render as well in e-readers). That's something some readers have also noted in their review posts on Amazon and Goodreads. But the Kirkus reviewer still concludes, as do most Goodreads and Amazon review posts, "That said, Sharma paces the novel well, gradually unfolding layers of mystery until the final truth is revealed." The novel is summed up as "an often engaging New Orleans mystery with romantic and humorous touches." To address the one recurring point of criticism, I am mulling whether to scatter excerpts of the family tree at strategic points in the book. Would it overemphasize genealogy and drag at pacing further, or would it help? What do you think, readers? For the full review, go to https://www.kirkusreviews.com/book-reviews/katherine-d-sharma/lies-agreed-upon/

Why I Love Book Clubs

I joined a book club late in life (after age 50), and I regret I didn't join one sooner. I've reaped three very important benefits. First of all, my book club members were the first readers of my novel in a relatively raw form. Their honest critiques helped me to hone my plot and edit my writing (although I had to go outside my all-woman club for male input). Second, each club member gets to choose one book, fiction or nonfiction, that we read, which means that I am introduced to writers, ideas, styles and information that I might otherwise miss or avoid. It really broadens my intellectual and emotional horizon. Finally, the club brings solitary readers together in a group experience that, regardless of agreement or contention, deepens the impact of a book for each member. I'd love to get your ideas on making a book club more successful, or problems to avoid. I'd love to donate my book, Lies Agreed Upon, to your book club for discussion!

The Work of Creating Believable Fictional Places

The action in Lies Agreed Upon plays out against both fictional and real settings, and I tried to make the fictional environments as descriptively believable as the actual backdrop of historic New Orleans. In fact, it requires more research to successfully describe imaginary places as it does to describe real locations. To create a fictional place, I first look for historical models in my research reading. I also browse the Internet for tourist descriptions, local memoirs and news stories of similar places. I study photographs of sites that fit with the age, style, scenery and location. I look to my own experiences where appropriate. For example, in Lies Agreed Upon, the Lost Lady Restaurant does not exist. So I drew on dining experiences in the converted buildings of other old farms, plantations and inns, and I found descriptions of real-life Louisiana restaurants housed in old plantation outbuildings to use as models. Right now, I am researching for my next mystery set in Northern Virginia, just outside of Washington, D.C. I must create a believable neighborhood, with look, history and demographics that fit with both local reality and the grimmer turns of my plot. I spent my teen years in this area and still visit my father there, so I can draw on memory and recent observations, but the final environment will be a composite of lots of research, imagination and a few experiences -- including some surprisingly dark ones for sunny suburbia!

A Basic Inspiration for Lies Agreed Upon

People have asked me what gave me the idea for the story of Lies Agreed Upon and why I chose a New Orleans setting. Like Tess, the main character in Lies Agreed Upon, I first encountered New Orleans as a tourist. In my visits to the city, I loved its historic architecture, its culture and, of course, its rich culinary heritage. But I chose New Orleans as the setting for a mystery about an inheritance and a family feud because of a real event in my own family. My maternal grandparents came from Louisiana, but I knew little about them except that they had once been well-to-do landowners and businesspeople. One day my mother and her siblings, who had grown up in very modest circumstances in Texas, were surprised to learn of inherited land near New Orleans. A legal dispute over ownership ensued between my mother's family and relatives still living in Louisiana. Eventually, the Louisiana courts ruled that the property belonged to all descendants of the original owner: a Spanish immigrant who arrived in Louisiana in 1838, like Antonio Cabrera in the novel. None of his many heirs benefited from the disputed property as far as I know. The life stories of the real people in my maternal family tree bear no resemblance to the events in my novel, but the surprise inheritance, its hidden history and its family feud inspired my mystery tale. For more detail, see my website at www.authorkatherinesharma.com.